Challenges Associated with Cleaning Plastic Food Packaging for Reuse

Samsun Nahar, Mala Sian, Ryan Larder, Fiona L. Hatton and Elliot Woolley ()
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Samsun Nahar: Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE113TU, UK
Mala Sian: Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE113TU, UK
Ryan Larder: Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
Fiona L. Hatton: Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
Elliot Woolley: Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE113TU, UK

Waste, 2022, vol. 1, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Reuse of plastic packaging for food is a promising route to reduce the environmental burdens, but presents particular challenges due to the need to avoid cross-contamination of contents. This study investigates the challenges associated with cleaning and assessing existing recycled PET (rPET) food-to-go (FTG) pack forms and provides recommendations to enable a shift towards reusable food packaging systems. Pack forms were fouled under controlled conditions and washed in accordance published guidelines. Three fouling media were selected to represent food residue typically found in FTG packs. Investigated parameters included fouling type and quality, wash and rinse times, and detergent dosage. Cleanliness was assessed using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) swabbing and the effect on the material properties was studied via tensile testing, IR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The results demonstrate that cleaning effectiveness is dependent on the quantity of fouling, the duration of the wash cycle and the dosing of detergent indicating the potential to optimise parameters for different fouling conditions. It is also concluded that ATP testing is an inappropriate cleanliness assessment method for food packaging due to many opportunities for it to produce false negative readings, its high cost, and slow response. The rPET material properties remained largely unchanged apart from a slight increase in stiffness, however packaging suffered significant deformation.

Keywords: sustainable consumption; circular economy; single use plastics; food and drink; waste reduction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q16 Q18 Q2 Q20 Q23 Q24 Q25 Q28 Q3 Q31 Q38 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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