Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste

When all packaging is accounted for, it adds up to about one-third of all the trash that's thrown away in the United States. Industry and business are responsible for most of this waste, but consumer product packaging accounts for about 15 percent of what's discarded. When you purchase a...

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Main Author: Kenneth R. Berger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries 2003-12-01
Series:EDIS
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Online Access:https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/109113
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author Kenneth R. Berger
author_facet Kenneth R. Berger
author_sort Kenneth R. Berger
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description When all packaging is accounted for, it adds up to about one-third of all the trash that's thrown away in the United States. Industry and business are responsible for most of this waste, but consumer product packaging accounts for about 15 percent of what's discarded. When you purchase a frozen dinner, you are paying for not only the meal but for the outer paperboard box, the plastic or foil tray that holds the meal, and the covering over the food. You pay again for packaging, directly or indirectly, when your garbage is picked up and disposed of in a landfill or incinerator. Some communities are moving toward "pay-as-you-throw" fees for every bag put out at the curb, so it makes sense to reduce household waste. Composting, recycling, and reusing items all help. And by shopping carefully you can reduce excess packaging that you would throw away. This document is ABE328, one of a series of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. First published September 2002.  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae226
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spelling doaj-art-8432cfd48e7547f49393073fba1b1ace2025-02-08T06:28:53ZengThe University of Florida George A. Smathers LibrariesEDIS2576-00092003-12-01200317Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging WasteKenneth R. Berger0University of Florida When all packaging is accounted for, it adds up to about one-third of all the trash that's thrown away in the United States. Industry and business are responsible for most of this waste, but consumer product packaging accounts for about 15 percent of what's discarded. When you purchase a frozen dinner, you are paying for not only the meal but for the outer paperboard box, the plastic or foil tray that holds the meal, and the covering over the food. You pay again for packaging, directly or indirectly, when your garbage is picked up and disposed of in a landfill or incinerator. Some communities are moving toward "pay-as-you-throw" fees for every bag put out at the curb, so it makes sense to reduce household waste. Composting, recycling, and reusing items all help. And by shopping carefully you can reduce excess packaging that you would throw away. This document is ABE328, one of a series of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. First published September 2002.  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae226 https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/109113AE226
spellingShingle Kenneth R. Berger
Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste
EDIS
AE226
title Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste
title_full Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste
title_fullStr Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste
title_full_unstemmed Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste
title_short Consumer Choices Can Reduce Packaging Waste
title_sort consumer choices can reduce packaging waste
topic AE226
url https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/109113
work_keys_str_mv AT kennethrberger consumerchoicescanreducepackagingwaste