Waste plastic water saving one strategy and two solutions

The pandemic has undoubtedly wreaked havoc on every industry around the world, and the circular economy is one of them, and many sustainability initiatives have slowed or stopped
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With the surge in global demand for takeaway food, the field of polypropylene (PP) disposable containers has been further developed
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Australia alone has almost doubled PP imports since 2015
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Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that 219,658 tonnes of PP scrap was recorded in Australia in 2018-2019, of which 62,632 tonnes came from households and only 28,128 tonnes were actually recycled
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It is estimated that Australia produces around 500 million PP takeaway food containers and lids each year, weighing around 16,400 tonnes
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Alternatives such as compostable packaging are not valued as a real option for a number of reasons, from limited collection infrastructure, to the fact that most "compostable" packaging requires industrial composting at 60°C, and the fact that some food products are not Suitable for compostable packaging
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Many in the restaurant industry are turning to brown cardboard packaging to escape the shackles of plastic
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It turns out that the brown cardboard packaging is mostly lined with resins or PFAs (poly and perfluoroalkanes), which are known to reduce the effectiveness of the immune system, hence the term "permanent chemicals"
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The chemical has been banned in Denmark and is under review by the European Union
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Interestingly, plastic's "bad reputation" often leads well-meaning retailers and restaurateurs to inadvertently switch to a less sustainable option
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Plastics play a vital role in preserving food and reducing food waste, so if carbon targets are to be met, we should focus on managing post-consumer PP plastic in a way that has never been managed before - as a resource rather than waste
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This requires significant and systemic change across the entire plastics ecosystem, and the food delivery industry is the perfect place to start
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In Australia, the twin challenges of dealing with the increase in plastic packaging waste and managing water supplies have prompted a group of experts to set up a pilot project to address both problems with one strategy
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The model of the Waste Saving Water (WSW) project is simple and far reaching; turning PP food containers into underground pools, creating aquifers
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PP is ideal for producing sustainable man-made aquifers that can capture rainwater and pump it to the surface when needed for agriculture, firefighting, and even drinking water
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Australia's current water management is outdated - rainwater is transported through expensive pipes for miles and then fed into the sea
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During the dry season, seawater flows back through multibillion-dollar desalination plants and is pumped back to the mountains through large pipelines
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Not only does this take a lot of energy, but the end result is that the brackish water is now being sent back to where it came from
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The artificial aquifer will be able to penetrate and filter rainwater through soil, sand and geotextiles into the aquifer, and when this system is scaled up, it will help save water, energy, money and recycle PP
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