Explanatory guide for waste management labels

Abstract

The word "plastic", we hear almost daily. Plastics have allowed us to improve our standard of living notably by lowering many products, advances in medicine and the proliferation of technological devices, among others. Despite this, the misuse we make of it, such as its irresponsible consumption and its poor management once it is a waste, is which generates the many problems we face today. In addition, one of the biggest environmental problems of conventional plastics is their high persistence in the environment, derived from their low degradability. Another important problem is that conventional plastics are obtained from non-renewable sources. Therefore, more and more work is being done on the production of bioplastics. Currently, most of the products we consume have numerous labels which can create confusion among consumers. Some of these labels indicate the type of material that makes up the product or product packaging itself, how the product must be recycled… However, the enormous existing disinformation and the misuse of the terms recyclable, reused, recycled, bioplastic, oxofragmentable, compostable and biodegradable generate even greater confusion when it comes to correct recycling and waste management. For all these reasons, this brief guide tries to clarify the doubts that exist between the previous terms and to facilitate a compression of the numerous existing labels today.