In this period of containment, some sectors continue to operate at full capacity. This is the case of the packaging sector, which is an indispensable activity for the food industry to produce and thus feed the population. All the more so as an increase of 89% was noticed for the average shopping basket in hypermarkets and supermarkets in the week from March 30 to April 5.
In its edition of Tuesday, April 7, the newspaper of France 2 has put the spotlight on this sector, which today occupies a strategic position but is encountering difficulties, particularly in terms of manpower.
40% of closed sorting centres
Another major problem facing the packaging sector is the closure of sorting centres. According to the chain, 40% of the sorting centres, which supply the sector with raw materials, are now closed. In a large part of the country, paper and cardboard are no longer sorted and go directly to the incinerator. As a result, prices for waste paper have doubled in the space of a fortnight.
Paul-Antoine Lacour, Copacel's General Delegate, fears that the closure of the sorting centres will lead to a drop in the production of paper and cardboard for packaging, and therefore a drop in the manufacture of packaging. This would have consequences for the entire food chain.
A call not to throw masks and used gloves in the recycling bin
Sorting centres that are still open are under threat of closure if masks and used gloves continue to be thrown into the waste separation bin, as has been observed in recent weeks. This practice exposes sorting staff to the risk of contamination.
The various actors in the selective sorting process have thus launched an appeal aimed at raising public awareness of the good practices to be carried out in this period of epidemic. Under no circumstances should used masks and gloves be thrown into the selective sorting bin.
