Mindful approach with your consumption.

This is a series of articles talking about waste management, packaging and my awakening towards this issue.

O que acontece com seus produtos depois de consumidos?

Working with a waste management company, I got familiar with our waste ... Well, I don’t call it waste anymore. They are materials - waiting to be re-used. The products below, unfortunately only have one life. I rescued them from the landfill and made some arts with it.

Look carefully the images, because these products are not recyclable in Brazil.

Guess where they will be headed?

Lays, Coffee bags and pills container are not recyclable due to the combination of plastic + metal. In this article I explain why.

The packaging for Activia Danone yogurt and contact solution are not recyclable because the products have less than 20% of pure material. These products usually have a bright white colour.

Next time you go to the supermarket ... what will you buy?

Now, when I walk in a supermarket, I am aware that all these products have no choice but to be burnt or to be left in the landfill. Do you know which products are recyclable and which are not? I invite you to be mindful, think twice, when you take a product into your hands.

For example… One unfortunate irony is that organic eggs usually come in unrecyclable plastic packaging, which when compared to the traditional counterparts, have a negative environmental effect. Now, I only buy carton packaging!

Milk brands with unrecyclable plastic are: Leitisima, Shefa, Paulista and Jussara (all made with plastic package). If in doubt, it is always better to buy carton packaging. But if you see carefully the image, the milk brands that are non- recyclable have a bright white colour.

This is what happens when we consume non-recyclable milk brands. They are awaiting to be placed in landfills

Straws? Plastic glass? Plastic dishes? THEY ARE NOT RECYCLABLE.

A tipical padaria with batatas fritas and natural fruit juice

Wouldn’t it be cool to talk with these companies that produce these unrecyclable products and tell them the negative impact we are all creating?

Wouldn’t it be fair for you, for me, for the earth, to know which produtcs are sustainable and which are not?

Hopefully this post can help us built more awareness about what product are and are not recyclable. Unfortunately, I dont know if this information is applicable in all the countries. But I invite you to find out in your country, in your supermarket!

This is part of my journey in Social Innovation Management at the Amani Institute.