Food packaging gets a recycled push

Bengaluru: The new plastic waste management rules now allow 60 per cent recycled content in rigid food packaging.

Suryasarathi Bose, a scientist and professor of Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, works on plastic recycling. He says that rigid packaging refers to containers used by companies like Swiggy and Zomato.

“There are strict rules on mitigation of contamination. If the contamination is high and it migrates to the food, that's a food safety challenge. The test itself is called FSSAI's challenge test, in which you have to prove that chemicals are not leaching into the food. Even though you add 60 per cent recycled plastic, you still have to comply with that kind of test,” he says.

The other requirement is that since it is used for rigid packaging, it should have sufficient mechanical strength.

Bose explains that the way plastics are currently collected, sorted and handled is inefficient. “If 60 per cent is a mandate for rigid food packaging, it should be so clean with no contamination that the milkman should collect the milk pouch from your home without it ever going into the dustbin. This is a clean way of collecting back,” he explains. The same applies to every category of plastic. All of them are collected and shredded separately. Even mixing two categories can be a problem, he adds.

Why do they need to be separate? “Milk pouch is polyethene, and if it mixes with polystyrene or thermofoam, there can be migration of chemicals from one polymer to the other,” Bose adds.

“These plastics then have to be washed, for which we need clean water resources, then a shredding unit to convert them into smaller pieces and finally converted into pellets. These pellets are then sent to a manufacturing unit that can mould a Swiggy or Zomato food container from that pellet,” he explains.

A major challenge in recycling units, Bose says, is microplastics produced when plastic is being shredded. 

Even recycled plastics can be recycled again, provided they don't lose certain properties — particularly mechanical strength, says Bose. “FSSAI is asking recyclers to follow an ISO standard that specifies the percentage of recycled plastic in a product. That's a traceability requirement,” he adds.

“So, if I am a vendor, I will label my product saying it contains 60 per cent recycled and 40% fresh plastic. Next time someone tries to reuse that, they should know the recycled content was already 60 per cent. This traceability is very important, and it is now being enforced.

“When other countries are able to do this, India also can,” he adds.

A recycler’s view

Srichakra Polyplast is a recycler that processes segregated plastic into plastic pellets. It serves many major brands.

Satish Kumar Gunturu, the company's chief operating officer, says the company receives pre-segregated plastic, and the final washing and decontamination of plastic are done at the company's facility. “We press them, wash them, decontaminate them and shred them into small pieces. Then they become pellets and granules after the volatile compounds are removed through a process called solid stage polycondensation,” he says.

He says the material, or feedstock, has demand from plastic and textile manufacturers. “Technically, I think 60% usage in food-grade plastic may be a little ambitious, but I think it can be done as brands adopt the solution and demand grows.”

He also notes that brand owners coming forward is more important. “The PET bottles are clear, and the addition of recycled plastic will add some colour and make it more opaque. It’s the question of aesthetics, acceptance and adoption,” he explains.

“And of course, because it's food-grade, the compliance of the recycler is very important. Make sure quality testing is done not just for aesthetics and functionality, but also for the food-grade adherence,” he says. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has its mandates, and recyclers and manufacturers will adapt to them, he says. He also thinks that even though India lacks the capacity, the recycling industry will adapt.

“The compliance framework is strong. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) tracks progress of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the production and recycling targets; it is all easier because it is digitised,” he explains.

“With the volatile geopolitical situation and an increasing crude price, it's important to increase the adoption of recycled plastic. We have the capabilities, so we should reduce the dependency on oil. If the landfills can be avoided, and the environment can be saved, we should support it by strengthening the systems,” he adds.

Manufacturers push back

Vijaya Kumar V, President of the Karnataka State Polymers Association (KSPA), says the implementation part is getting more cumbersome. “Producers of packaging material like us convert raw material into packaging material and supply it. We don't pack the product. Yet we have been targeted more in the guidelines on stricter environmental compensation,” he says.

“There is no awareness created or consultations by the Central Pollution Control Board for the affected parties or the stakeholders. They pass amendments for the entire country, sitting in the comforts of Delhi,” he adds. 

He says there is no clarity on how the EPR is rolled out. “There are lakhs of queries on their website that remain unanswered. In Karnataka itself, we have raised queries since 2022, which have remained unaddressed,” he says. 

“Being small-scale industries, we are perennially short-staffed. How do you expect us to go and create awareness among consumers? The products have been promoted by brand owners, but the brand owners are not involved at all. Why are you blaming us?” he asks.

“If you want the industry to fall in line with the rules and regulations, the infrastructure also has to be provided by the government. You can't put the entire onus on us,” he adds.