Recycling is the favoured environmental activity of the 1990s. The past decade also saw an increasing number of countries mandating recycling in packaging. This began in Taiwan in 1989 when they mandated recycling of PET bottles, and was followed by Germany. Their 1991 packaging ordinance led to the collection and recycling of more than two-thirds of the nation's packaging consumption. The European Union Packaging Waste Directive, which came into force in December 1994, resulted in other EU countries adopting a modified German approach, with the hope of achieving broadly similar results at lower costs.

In India, recycling forms the core of activities undertaken by the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), an apex body for the packaging industry. ``Owing to the high level of ignorance among consumers, which led to theDropsy episode, environmental concerns of packaging are an area which need probing,'' says N C Saha, joint director, IIP.

Though it facilitates preservation and distribution of fresh produce and processed items from the production centre to the ultimate consumer, packaging adds to solid waste, creating environmental hazards. The options for disposal of post-consumer waste in the country are landfills, incineration and recycling. Of these, landfills are the safest and the most cost-effective. But until the waste decomposes, land can't be put to any other use.

The second option, Saha says, is the most dangerous. ``Though it generates electricity and heat from energy stored in municipal solid wastes, the burning of plastics with multiple layers of diverse polymers leads to toxic emissions. Polymers like Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) and in some cases polystyrene monomers, used to make mineral water PET bottles, emit carcinogenic fumes when incinerated,'' says Saha.

Because of the differences in theirproperties, especially the melting points, some polymeric materials release carcinogenic fumes into the environment. The phenomenon had led to some European countries and the United States banning PVC bottles for packaging food in the seventies. ``Medical experts agree that these emissions are carcinogenic in nature. Exposure can lead to cancer within twenty years,'' says Saha.

Recycling is the best option for reduction of packaging waste, since most of the packaging material is recyclable. ``Paper boards, glass containers, tin containers and plastics are all recyclable. Plastics have a limitation since multi-layer plastics with different melting points are not easy to recycle. But new technology can help a packaging material like a tetra-pack to be recycled, but not for use in the same application,'' says Saha. The principal criterion before recycling any packaging material is the compatibility study: the product versus the packaging. Otherwise, you lose out on the shelf-life. ``With each cycle ofrecycling there will be a degradation of the properties of the product,'' according to Saha.

IIP has a laboratory which undertakes shelf-life studies of new products. ``We follow the Bureau of Indian Standards system where we test the packed product in a climatic processing chamber. We expose the packed product to a temperature of 38 degrees centigrade and 90 per cent relative humidity. Every alternative day, we analyse the product and the package. The purpose of product analysis is to ensure that there is no reaction between the product and the packaging. The packaging analysis checks if there is any decrease in the original properties after it has been exposed to accelerated condition,'' he explains.

For instance, to find out if the recycled polybags are food grade or not, IIP carries out an `extractability' test. The IS 9845 tests the `extractability' of the packaging material. It studies the additives, plasticizers, anti-static agents and colouring agents which can be extracted out of the polybags.``These additives are called migrants. If the additives are less than 60 parts per million, the package is fine. Beyond that it can't be used to pack food. But more important is the compatibility study, which checks out the condition of food when packed in a recycled pack, by exposing it to similar circumstances in the laboratory. If it compromises on product quality or nutritional value, it is not food grade,'' says Saha.

Recycling of polybags is not desirable since they lose their vital original properties in the process. For instance, if they use their tensile strength, they cannot be used again to pack edible oil. Instead of blaming the packaging material, Indian customers should be more environmentally conscious. None of us use the garbage bins provided by the civic authorities. ``By littering the roads with polybags we are increasing the risk of drainage blockades. And then we blame the plastic bag makers.

A ban is never the best solution. Polybags can be recycled and can be used for packaging ornon-packaging applications, but it should be accompanied with a change in consumer attitudes,'' says Saha. People are not aware of the merits of packaging. The Dropsy episode, for instance, could have been avoided if the villagers knew the dangers of buying loose oil. ``A packed product means more accountability for the company and empowerment for the food inspector. If anything goes wrong even then, it is much easier to catch hold of the company,'' feels Saha.