The most beautiful packaging becomes a stress test if it is difficult to open. You're probably familiar with this situation: the endless and awkward fumbling to reach the inside of the packaging robs you of your desire to see the contents. All the greater is the relief that a tear-open tab can bring. However, this useful invention is often made of a different material than the packaging itself - this is where the question of proper disposal comes into play.
Pull tabs: Result of complex considerations
How simple the subject of packaging could be if everything could be put into paper bags - and sold! The bags could simply be given to the waste paper and then start their way through a new cycle of processing. However, paper has its limits in terms of properties, and it is not transparent at all.
As consumers, however, we have certain demands; we want to see exactly what we are buying. But that is only one side of the coin, because there are also certain requirements in retail itself: If we fill the food into the bags independently, the staff at the checkout must still be able to take a look - to name just one example.
There are many other occasions when bags with windows are the perfect solution - after all, the eye eats with you. There's a reason why visual appearance plays an important role in the marketing of a wide variety of goods. Even paper bags are enormously upgraded in this way, not to mention bags made of plastic or composite films.
However, the question of environmental compatibility is becoming increasingly important. The statements that these bags with windows are even compostable and therefore harmless to the environment from the consumer's point of view are often enough misleading about the fact that industrial composting must be involved. This would also be a way - certainly not the optimal one, but at least one that does not let the mountains of waste continue to grow. But that's the theory, because practice looks quite different.
Tear-open tabs - intelligent invention in a variety of designs
In everyday life, you will encounter them in the most diverse variations - the pull tabs:
Beverage cans
Probably the best-known tear-off tab is found on beverage cans. It has undergone an interesting transformation: Whereas it once had to be torn off completely in order to access the coveted refreshment, today it can stay on. The new mechanism eliminates the problem of the sharp-edged clip, the awkward handling and the danger of spilling the can contents on oneself.
Today, the cans are easier to open because the lid is only partially pushed inwards. This may not seem hygienic, but it is still accepted. The pull-tab in this case consists of the ring, which must first be pressed upwards and then downwards. The special feature: You can return the empty can, it will be recycled - and you get back the deposit of 25 cents.
Canned food
The principle is similar, but the cans, which are also made of tinplate, are sold without a deposit. Here, too, a pull tab is usually attached, but it is used to remove the entire lid - and for those without the little helper, you'll have to resort to the good old can opener.
Disposal also takes place in simple steps. Both the can and the lid belong to the recyclables depot. In many cities and communities, a yellow garbage can or a yellow bag is issued for this purpose. The sorted and cleaned tinplate can be pressed again, melted down and reprocessed into cans.
Folding boxes, sturdy envelopes and mailing packaging
Whether it's detergent packaging or letter mail - without a tear-open tab
It is usually a paper or plastic strip that you can use to tear open the packaging along a peel line. In the best case, with a jerk!
The tear-off tab is usually marked in color, paper solutions perforated so that the protruding tab can be easily identified in this way. Disposal is simple here: paper tabs belong in the paper waste, plastic tabs belong to the recyclables.
Plastic cups and containers with aluminum or plastic lids
Yogurt pots and other plastic food packaging also have a tear-open tab. To do this, a marked corner of the lid is not glued all the way to the edge, so you can grab the top piece and tear open the package.
Some manufacturers advertise that these packages can be resealed, but this is limited - it is recommended that the contents be consumed quickly.
Both plastic packaging and lids made of aluminum or plastic are among the recyclables that are usually disposed of via the yellow garbage can or a yellow bag.
 Be sure to tear off the aluminum lids completely, because the garbage is scanned and separated. Leftover food is not a problem, as long as you put the packaging in the trash "spoon clean" - a thorough wash cycle follows anyway. |
Tetra Pak
These beverage cartons are extremely popular: paper on the outside, a food-safe coating on the inside - milk, soft drinks and even wine are sold in the so-called Tetra Pak. The tear-off flap can be designed differently for this type of packaging.
Some composite packaging has a plastic ring next to a screw button with which you can open the inner sleeve. Here, there is a risk that you will tear off this tab and have to use a tool. With others, you open the packaging by unscrewing the screw cap.
However, they all have one thing in common: this packaging does not belong in the waste paper garbage can, but in the recycling garbage can. Recycling the plastic lids is the least of the problems; composite packaging has so far been recycled preferentially in paper mills.
Tetra Laval Group, the company responsible for manufacturing, reports that it is working on a recycling approach for these composite packages and the polymers they contain. In doing so, the company is supporting the EU plastics strategy: a recycling solution is to be developed for all components of the popular beverage cartons by 2030.
Combinations of paper and plastic
Many foodstuffs and luxury foods are double-wrapped, such as chocolates. First you have to remove the plastic wrapping with a pull tab, then open the cardboard box to get to the last hurdle - the coated paper that wraps each individual chocolate.
Proper disposal here requires strict waste separation: While the plastic sleeve including the tear-off tab and the inner paper with metal coating belong in the recycling garbage can, you can throw the cardboard box in the paper waste. This may seem inconvenient, but it is the only logical way to consistently recycle all components.
 You want to know more about sustainability and our products? Then contact us, we look forward to hearing from you. |
Conclusion: Disposing of tear-off tabs correctly - a question of material
A tear-open flap can be a real help if it has been developed in a consumer-friendly way - there are many aspects to consider here. Often, a different material is used for this aid than for the actual packaging. This brings us to an important topic: waste separation. What is theoretically thought to be consistent is implemented very differently from region to region.
In many cities and communities, yellow bins or bags are available for so-called recyclable materials, in which plastics and metal cans can be disposed of. These are separated by machine so that they can then be recycled according to the recyclable material and used again to manufacture a wide variety of articles.
The same can be done with the waste paper generated in the household - after all, this is in short supply and is needed in the paper industry. Other communities use only one garbage can for paper and plastics, which in turn requires a different waste separation process.
In order to find out the right way for you, you should first inform yourself about the procedure of your waste disposal company. Of course, you are always free to collect paper, metals and/or plastics separately and take them to a recycling center. However, uncomplicated recycling requires separation in every case: If, for example, a label is stuck to a kraft paper bag, it must be removed in the same way as other plastic components.
Some food manufacturers provide detailed instructions on their packaging on how you can best deal with the individual packaging components. What counts in the end is the result: we should be careful with natural resources and plastics in order to reduce the burden on the environment to a maximum with consistent recycling.
