In parts one and two of our Trashtalk miniseries, we already talked about the big players, recycling and the rules of thumb of ecodesign. But important questions remain - what about consumers? How can they still see the forest for the trees? Are compostable plastics greenwashing? We'll help sort it all out in Part Three.

Are there any other myths related to packaging and recycling that can be dispelled?

That's the perception of compostable packaging. We see a lot of litter. A response from industry is often that they are going to use compostable plastic. If consumers throw that away in nature, they're going to disappear. Of course, packaging is not designed to be thrown away in nature. That's a matter of mindset. So that answer "it's to stop littering" is lark and apekool. We need to stop creating litter. Hence the intention to charge a deposit such that packaging should be in the collection scenario. Of that compostable packaging they say you can throw it in the GFT, but I can tell you that that packaging will be banned in the GFT. Compostable plastics will be banned in the GFT bin.

Why? Two reasons. First, the tests to determine whether the plastic is compostable are done on a laboratory scale. It has been observed in real life that the decomposition process does not proceed as desired. After those weeks in the composting plant, pieces of compostable plastic can still be found. Then when the organic waste bin arrives at the composting plant, it is ground up and aerated and these products prevent the latter process. And then one last reason, some consumers who are not always so clever and throw regular plastics in the GFT as well. One gets contamination from non-compostable plastics. That is why VLAKO said they are forbidden. They also obviously don't belong in the PMD bag. Because that goes to the sorting plants for the story of recycling. In other words packaging made from compostable plastics don't belong anywhere and will be burned. Pure greenwashing.

"We need to stop creating additional litter."

I had also heard some things about compostable packaging and also understood that because very specific criteria are needed to compost that they are not actually achieved in practice. That there are always leftovers.

What it is interesting for, for example, are the stickers on fruits and vegetables. I see a transition in that now, there are paper stickers now, but until recently they were PVC stickers. I went to visit a composting company and at the end we throw PVC stickers together with the compost on fields. That's a matter of creating microplastics not only in the ocean, but also in our ecosystems. So for applications that composting has a function such as tree protection, for that it is interesting.

It is also important to distinguish between to distinguish between compostable plastics and bioplastics. Bioplastics means that the raw material is biobased. Biological, in other words. Think of bio-polyethylene made from residual sugar and PLA with residual corn. But then you have two types. You have the bio-polyethylene which is not compostable, but is recyclable. So biobased, not compostable. Then you have the PLA, biobased, but compostable. It's important to see that difference. People often lump it together.

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If I understand correctly, these are materials produced from natural sources, but not so much disappear into a natural origin. There are a lot of calls in the industry, from corporations to non-profit to us. How do you best address that as a consumer?

I get so many questions about that because consumers often don't remember. It's the same strategy than I give to you, the industry. First, try to avoid packaging. Go packaging-free shopping, zero-waste. Then go for reuse, self-reuse or reusable packaging with collection scenario. And then go for packaging that belongs in the PMD. It's a fact that not all plastic packaging that ends up in there is recycled, but that's really too far for consumers to delve into. For example, the black trays are not recycled because that causes problems in sorting or pre-packaging of hesp or cheese, which are multilayers that we as consumers cannot see which ensures that the plastic is also not recyclable.

Don't be guided by perception. For example, there are packages made of paper such as those of the meat products at Colruyt. Obviously paper coated with plastic and a plastic layer is welded over it. Then they ask the consumer to tear off the paper layer and throw the rest in the PMD. These are solutions that, as far as I'm concerned, do no good. Creating that perception because of course the question is - who does it?

Basically a matter of shifting responsibility to the consumer?

True. And my thing above all is, take care of that consumer. Make it easy. The onus is not on the consumer and you have to encourage them. You can do that by nudging. Just look at Hollebolle Gijs in the efteling or a financial incentive like deposit money.

To conclude what the essentials are. Always reduce, reuse, recycle. In that order. But, of course, it's still a forest of lots of terms and definitions.

"The onus is not on the consumer. You have to encourage him."

Are there other technologies or concepts that you believe very strongly in? That are going to make a big difference?

Which I see happening because we're really in a transition. In addition to the circular economy story, we see in the recycling story a focus on chemical recycling. I believe in that because producers of the plastics that have long made virgin plastics are investing heavily in chemical recycling. That's a revolution coming our way.

Then the digitization of the world. Currently there is a project underway called The Holy Grail. The concept is as follows. Watermarks are put on the packaging and we throw them all back together in one big bin. Then they start screening those packages and then they start sorting clean and well. Once again, the consumer will be unburdened. This digitalization will provide a lot of opportunities for reuse, tracking and recycling.

Also awareness among everyone. All stakeholders from consumer to government. What I also see happening is chain cooperation. Essential. In a linear world, companies put packaging on the market and they don't care if it's recyclable or not. But we now see raw material scarcity and it's getting more expensive so companies now benefit themselves by applying the design-for-recycling rules of thumb. Because now they are also being forced by the European Commission to add recycled content to their packaging. So companies now have every advantage.

I think it's clear which direction to go, now it's just getting all the noses in the same direction!