Plastic Waste Management: A Designer's Perspective Part One: Background Information and Waste Minimisation;the First Priority

This first paper (in a series of three) introduces some general information on the subject of plastic waste management and serves to show why it is becoming increasingly important for designers to consider the end disposal of plastic products during the initial design process. The reasons why landfill is no longer a suitable means of final disposal for plastic waste, and the relevance of this for designers, are discussed. A current article of EU legislation, concerned with packaging and packaging waste, is examined in order to assess the implications such acts of Parliament might hold for designers and manufacturers in the future. The legislative position of a number of key European Union (EU) countries (namely Germany and Belgium) are then introduced to gain an insight into the direction EU law may follow. This paper introduces the idea of ‘waste minimisation’, which is the first of a series of design approaches which can help address the problems of plastic waste. It highlights why this particular approach can have a beneficial impact on the volume of plastic waste generated and, using examples, demonstrates how it may be achieved.