Utilization of polymer packaging materials as a basis of environmental safety: biodegradable and edible materials

Abstract

The introduction presents an analysis of waste disposal methods used in different countries, which indicates certain difficulties in the disposal of polymer waste due to their greatest environmental danger, since synthetic polymers decompose for a long time in natural conditions. Today, high requirements for environmental protection dictate the emergence of new types of processing of polymer waste through their self-destruction. An actual direction in the packaging industry is the production of environmentally friendly self-destructible packaging: biodegradable and edible. The basis for the production of such packages is raw materials of animal and vegetable origin. The purpose of the work is to substantiate the advantages of self-destructible packaging as an environmentally friendly material that does not harm the environment. The main part of the article provides information about the advantages of biodegradable and edible packaging materials. The advantage  of biodegradable packaging is its ability to degrade into natural components that do not require separate collection, sorting, recycling or other disposal solutions. The disposal costs of such packaging are minimal, since the waste is decomposed under the influence of natural factors: water, various types of radiation or microorganisms. Edible packaging is the only type of biodegradable plastic packaging that does not require individual collection and special disposal conditions. Such packages have a high sorption capacity, which allows them to have a positive physiological effect on the human body, enriching food with minerals, vitamins, complexes of microelements, bioflavonoids, regulating the taste and aroma properties of  the  packaged food product and  simplifying the nutrition process. In the conclusion, it is noted that the solution to the problems of recycling packaging materials indicates a global trend in the field of creating self-destructible materials – biodegradable and edible, the prospects of which are aimed at preserving the environment.