A new survey has revealed that when it comes to awareness about recyclability of food and drink packaging materials, it's not so much our nationalities that divide us, but our age.
The survey into the recycling habits of 8,000 Europeans in 11 countries by the Friends of Glass community has shown that recycling across Europe continues to enjoy strong support, with awareness about glass recyclability particularly high.
However, while 94 per cent of European consumers are aware of the importance of recycling food and drink packaging, the younger generation in general are less informed recyclers.
The survey confirmed that across Europe, the 60+ age group are generally more aware of the importance of environmental benefits of recycling food and drink packaging than those between 18-29.
Research found that only just over half of 18-29 year-olds in the UK knew that glass could be recycled infinitely compared with 77 per cent of 50-59 year-olds.
An impressive 96.4 per cent of younger Britons claimed to recycle but only 31.4 per cent thought that glass was the most environmentally-friendly food and drink packaging material.
Commenting on the study, Rebecca Cocking of Friends of Glass, said: “While it's encouraging to see so many Millennials taking the trouble to recycle, it's a concern that their awareness that glass can be recycled an infinite number of times isn't higher. Obviously more work needs to be done to highlight the brilliant sustainable properties of glass and why it remains an important food and drink packaging material today and for the future”.
The survey also took gender differences into consideration. Women are generally less aware of the sustainable properties of glass than men. This was especially prevalent in the survey findings for participants in the UK, Germany and the Czech Republic.
In Slovakia and Croatia, there is a lower awareness about the recycling benefits of glass among both genders. In Switzerland, both men and women recycle at a rate of above 90 per cent.
In 9 out of the 11 countries surveyed, people on average recycle 6-20 glass items in a month. In Switzerland, almost all people claim to recycle glass - 99.6 per cent, followed by Germany at 88.6 per cent, France (74 per cent) and Spain (77 per cent) are the countries with the highest rate of people who know that glass can be 'infinitely' recycled into new bottles and jars.
“One of the great benefits of glass is just how easy it is to recycle," she added. There has been some recent misinformation in the news about how one must wash out jars and bottles thoroughly before recycling.
"This isn't necessary – a quick rinse if possible is preferable but not essential and you can pop the lids and tops back on too. These will be dealt with as part of the recycling process," she said.
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