Recycling Food Packaging & Containers

According to the EPA, one of the best ways to reduce the amount of waste headed to a landfill is to recycle. The good news is, as a country we are looking to increase the amount of municipal solid waste we recycle every year. The EPA’s latest charts indicate that we recycle and compost over 30% of the MSW generated, for over 90 million tons of waste that does not end up in our landfills! Let us keep up that great work!

P.E.T. plastic products, which carry the #1 recycling icon plastic identification symbol, is the most common type of curb-side recyclable plastic. Genpak produces many different types of food packaging that are produced with this type of material including our Clear Hinged Containers, Sustainable Food Containers, Serving Bowls, Clear Cups as well as most of our clear food service lids.

Another common, curb-side recycled plastic is polypropylene which carries the #5 recycling icon plastic identification symbol. This type of material is commonly used to produce microwave safe products. At Genpak, we produce our ProView and Clover products from polypropylene.

Polystyrene, which carries the #6 recycling icon plastic identification symbol is another type of material we use to produce a host of products including Foam Hinged Containers. This versatile material can come in a foamed or a solid format. Polystyrene can, and is being recycled at many locations throughout the United Sates. However curb-side recycling is not abundant enough to make the claim that this material is recyclable. For more information about polystyrene, please click here.

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