Understanding butter paper segregation: Get it right and save the planet

Waste segregation is a daily practice that has a significant impact on the environment. Although the rules seem straightforward, many people have doubts, especially when it comes to packaging for food products. One frequent dilemma is where to discard butter paper. Should it go into the yellow bin for plastics, the blue bin for paper, or the black bin for mixed waste?

Waste segregation seems like a simple task, but in practice, it turns out that many people have difficulty correctly sorting packaging from food products. While most of us know where to throw glass or plastic beverage bottles, doubts often arise regarding more specific packaging, such as butter paper. Should greasy butter paper go in the paper bin, the plastics bin, or the mixed waste bin? The answer may surprise you.

Although it may seem that butter paper packaging should go into the paper waste bin, this is a mistaken belief. The fat that covers the paper makes this material unsuitable for recycling. In the paper manufacturing process, the presence of fat disrupts the technology and significantly lowers the quality of the resulting product. Therefore, even a small amount of fat on the paper can contaminate a batch of paper waste, rendering it useless.

Butter packaging often combines paper and aluminium foil. In such a case, the two should be separated before disposal. The greasy paper goes into the mixed waste bin, and the aluminium foil goes into the yellow bin for metals and plastics.

Waste segregation is not only an obligation but also our responsibility towards the environment. Proper segregation can limit the amount of waste going to landfills and recover valuable secondary raw materials. Moreover, segregation contributes to reducing the consumption of energy and water needed to produce new products.

Besides proper segregation, it is also worth considering ways to reduce the amount of waste produced. One solution might be choosing butter in more eco-friendly packaging, such as glass jars that can be reused multiple times or easily recycled. Choosing more eco-friendly options can be a step towards reducing our carbon footprint and caring for the environment.