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https://theconversation.com/with-better-standards-we-could-make-plastics-endlessly-useful-and-slash-waste-heres-how-189985>
"If you flip over a plastic food container, you’ll see tiny writing on it –
something like “AS 2070”. This means the product meets the Australian standard
for plastics safe to use for food.
These often unrecognised standards are a part of daily life. Australia has a
set of exacting standards which set quality benchmarks for many products. They
act as guidelines for design and manufacture of plastic items, shaping the
specific polymers used, the ability to use recycled content, and
compostability.
There’s a real opportunity to do more here. The issues of plastic waste in our
seas and the effects on wildlife are catalysing major public concern. Part of
the problem of plastic waste is the difficulty of reusing many types of
plastics as the feedstock for new products. We also need stronger incentives to
reduce plastic in manufacturing and design.
That’s where standards can come in. The European Union has used standards and
legislation to nudge the plastics industry towards a true circular economy.
This means minimising the use of plastic where possible, while ensuring old
plastics can be turned into new products rather than turning into waste which
could end up in our seas. We can do the same, harnessing standards to reduce
plastic waste. How? By requiring companies to minimise plastic packaging and
setting guidelines for products to be made of specific polymers while avoiding
others.
Our new research found a total of 95 standards. Nine of these are Australian.
This means there is a great opportunity for Australian experts to get involved
in the national and international standards development process."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
