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BioPak Founder Richard Fine on the solution to the recycling crisis. Could a natural system of material recycling that returns valuable nutrients into the system be the answer? With a growing number of businesses choosing to use compostable packaging and more commercial composters keen to accept these products along with food waste, businesses are able to go plastic-free and reduce their waste to landfill.

As seen on News.com on 22 February 2019.

Qantas and Jetstar will ditch paper boarding passes and switch to a purely digital system this year in a bid to cut down on paper waste.

The bold change was announced by Qantas Group this morning as it revealed plans to become the first airline in the world to reuse, recycle and compost at least 75 per cent of its waste by the end of 2021.

In the last 18 months, we have launched the BioPak Compost Service to over 1,800 postcodes in Australia and New Zealand, and have had our cups and lids certified to Australian standards (AS4736) – in addition to the European certification which we've held for a while – in an effort to provide confidence and comply to the most stringent, regional practices available.

We’re all collectively fighting the war on waste at every level: consumer, business, and government. But perhaps there’s a different war we should be fighting? The war on convenience.

BioPak is recalling 12oz ByoCups manufactured before 2015 and sold between February 2013 and April 2018. In extreme circumstances, the bottom of the coffee cup may detach. If this occurs while the cup contains hot coffee/liquid, there is a risk of injury to the user. We take this very seriously, and are working with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and New Zealand's Trading Standards on this voluntary recall.

Coca Cola Amatil announced that they are entering the paper straw market this year in a move to reduce plastic consumption. The beverage manufacturer, who would previously distribute free plastic straws to over 115,000 outlets for promotional events in Australia, is now planning to make all their packaging fully recyclable by 2025. Part of the plan is to phase out all plastic straws and replace them with recyclable, home compostable and FSC® certified BioPak paper straws.

The South Australian Government is considering banning single-use plastic products such as coffee cups with plastic lining, straws, and cutlery. According to an Australian Senate inquiry, single-use plastics could be banned by 2023.

While the percentage of waste going to landfill has decreased, waste tonnage overall is growing with the economy and population. Recycling doesn’t change the amount of waste created. Instead, it minimises resources lost by diverting material from landfill and transforming it into a new material. Sounds good in theory, but two basic questions about recycling persist: is it really good for the environment and does it make economic sense?