The consumer is the one who has to bear the brunt of our recycling efforts. The manufacturers and industry leaders are not those who make us choose certain types of packaging or often, we have no option at all. Click for source!

It is not just the food industry that can benefit from recycling.

Won’t it make a difference if sustainability was considered more at the very beginning of a chain rather than just the end?

Here’s how businesses could be more ‘environmentally conscious’.

1. Water Filtered with Peeled Fruit

Mexican researchers developed a method to remove heavy metals and other pollutants in water by using an absorbent made of citrus peels such as oranges or grapefruits.

There is no shortage. Food industry waste is estimated to be 38.2 millions tons per year.

It is then packed in fixed-bed columns.

The research results demonstrate that these materials can be used as an adsorbent to compete with commercial activated char for the adsorption, and even recovery, of metals from wastewater. This could allow for sustainable methods of obtaining products with high commercial value using food residues.

– Researcher Luis Alberto Romero Cano

2. The Biodegradable packaging that keeps food fresher for longer

The packaging is made with plant-based cellulose composites and coated with anti-oxidant, anti-microbial active components.

Alternatives to plastic polymers could include the disposable containers we all use.

Researchers have found that clove ethereal oils are the most effective at fighting free radicals. However, it’s not antimicrobial.

This is where the silver comes into play. Silver gives the material a durable antimicrobial property, and it also strengthens and elastise.

It takes approximately two years for these non-toxic substances to degrade.

It is difficult to make heat resistant packaging using natural materials.

The challenge is to make something which can withstand the heat of an oven or microwave and still decomposes naturally over time. The use of cellulose in this manner isn’t possible.

The market already has similar products. Some compostable or edible bottles of water are becoming more popular. The bottles range from being a bit appealing to being completely disgusting.