An innovating solution may soon bring a new angle to personal recycling – edible food wrappers.
Food packaging, especially those that single serving-size, is a major contributor to landfill waste – some 76 tons in the US annually alone.
Two US-based companies, Monosol and WikiCells, will soon start marketing edible packaging, and both say the market has yet to be tapped.
Between the two rivals, Monosol is closer to market its packaging, which is already being used by some companies in the detergent, pesticide and clothing industries.
The company says it is also currently negotiating with several food companies; but its products cannot be used with wet goods.
WikiCells is free of this problem, as it employs ultra-thin membrane technology in its edible packaging. WikiCells creator Professor David Edwards said the company’s unique technology enables it to create thin, liquid proof flavorful packaging.
But before the two can corner the market, they have to overcome consumers’ psychological barrier, namely the initial unsavory site of, for example bits of plastic melting away into one’s drink.
Another hurdle is that of personal hygiene: Products in ready-made packaging go through many hands – literally – before they reach the end consumer, and despite the companies’ assurances of their products’ safety, it is unlikely that consumers would be willing to nibble on something whose hygiene can so clearly be compromised.
Still, marketing and recycling experts agree that there is room for experimentation in the field, which shows great potential in terms of urban waste management.
{News Agencies/Matzav.com Newscenter}
“76 tons”?
Are you sure you have got that quantity correct? That equals less than three ounces per American per year.
hey geniuses, why do we use food wrappers in the first place? And why do we use plastic, as opposed to, say, rice paper? That’s right, to keep the item clean and fit for human edible use. Thank you Matzav for yet another priceless article, which helps clarifying to us the average person’s “food standards”.
Can you imagine picking up a pack of lolly’s in the store to put in your child’s pekalach and then the lolly wrapper you touched will go directly in your child’s classmates mouth. Yuck! Can’t see this getting too far.