While some waste experts applaud Amazon’s move to shift away from bulky cardboard packaging to more lightweight plastic mailers, others point out that the Amazon plastic sacks are causing jams in recycling machinery and may not be the best solution, reports the Washington Post.
The plastic mailers need to be recycled separately and so are not recyclable in curbside bins; if they do make it into the paper recycling stream, they get caught in the machinery in the same way as plastic bags, slowing down the process and raising costs for the recycler. And even if the mailers do get to the correct collection point - some groceries and big-box stores contain drop-off bins - many consumers do not realize that the paper mailing labels must first be removed in order to be recyclable. A Closed Loop report says that just 4% of plastic film that makes it to consumers is recycled through grocery and big-box collection programs.
On the other hand, the plastic mailers are smaller and allow for more efficient shipping. And the production of the packaging causes fewer GHG emissions than that of recycled cardboard, according to David Allaway, an analyst for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Materials Management Program.
Amazon’s move to reduce packaging waste is not its only effort in terms of recycling. The e-commerce giant recently announced it would invest $10 million in Closed Loop Fund to support recycling infrastructure in the US, including increasing the availability of curbside recycling for 3 million homes in communities across the country. By making it easier for customers to recycle and by further developing end markets for recycled commodities, the investment will divert 1 million tons of recyclable material from landfill into the recycling stream and eliminate the equivalent of 2 million metric tons of CO2 by 2028, the company said.
Amazon also works directly with thousands of manufacturers to help them redesign their packaging and eliminate waste throughout the supply chain.
