New packet uses environmentally safe Hydropol
A UK firm has launched a fully recyclable packet for chippies (crisps).
The company, The British Crisp Co says consumers can dispose of the new crisp packet in their normal road side recycling along with other paper recyclable items.
The new packet uses a polymer called, Hydropol, instead of conventional plastic. A very thin layer of vacuum deposited aluminium keeps the crisps fresh but doesn’t impact the recyclability of the packets.
Tom Lock, chief executive of the British Snack Company, which owns British Crisp Co, says, “Brits consume over eight billion packets of crisps each year, the majority of which are not recyclable and end up in landfill or incinerators. That is a lot of waste and a huge environmental problem. In partnership with Evopak and using exciting new polymer technology, we have created the first fully recyclable crisp packet; something that consumers have been demanding for a long time.”
Safe disposal options
Hydropol offers recycling, re-pulping, and composting options, and suits anaerobic digestion. If unintentionally released into the natural environment, non-toxic and marine safe Hydropol will dissolve and subsequently biodegrade. It does not break down into harmful microplastics, so it still has a safe end-of-life, even if it is not disposed of as intended. It is already in use in products such as reusable, heat sealable paper mailing bags.
OPRL, an evidence-based on pack recycling labelling scheme, has certified the packets as recyclable in standard paper recycling mills. This means they feature the green recycle logo and consumers can disposed of them in consumer kerbside collections along with other paper material, unlike other crisp packets.
Hydropol performs like plastic and recycles like paper.
Aquapak Polymers specialises in designing and manufacturing new polymer-based material technologies. Its research chemists developed Hydropol as a high performance polymer that enables product and packaging design to meet all necessary functional and performance requirements, whilst increasing recycling, reducing harmful plastic pollution and supporting the circular economy. When extrusion coated or laminated onto paper, Hydropol adds strength and barriers to oxygen, oil and grease, and its solubility allows 100 per cent paper fibre recovery through paper recycling mills.
Mark Lapping, chief executive officer, Aquapak, says “This marks a significant milestone for Aquapak and our Hydropol technology, which can be commercialised at scale. This is a huge opportunity for brands and producers who now have a viable, functional and recyclable alternative that enables full fibre recovery in a standard paper recycling process.”
Daniel McAlister, director of business operations at Evopak, adds, “We have developed a paper with the potential to change packaging as we know it, thanks to Hydropol’s specific properties. We can use the paper in a range of applications from snacks and confectionary, to pet care and dry foods and cereals. It costs the same as existing materials.”
