Only 51% respondents to the survey, carried out by Opinia24 for Interzero, declare that they separate their waste into all 5 fractions, 43% believe that they do so correctly and the majority incorrectly interpret the meaning of the labels on the packaging. The report 'Packing for trouble? - What Poles know about packaging and how they deal with waste segregation' is now available.
The separate collection of municipal waste in a minimum (i.e. 5-bin) system is an obligation for all of us and follows from the provisions of the law. How does this look in households? Nearly 90% of those surveyed separate their waste into glass, metals and plastics, minimally less for paper (84%) and only 62% bio-waste. 26% admit that they have a problem choosing the right container. The majority of respondents know how to deal with a glass bottle or a yoghurt container. While simple, mono-material containers do not raise questions, the situation is different for a broken glass (74% wrong answers), a beverage carton (49% wrong answers), a used paper towel or a receipt (53% and 71% wrong answers respectively).
A source of knowledge on how to deal with used packaging should be, among other things, its label, but although 90% of respondents read it, only 15% look for indications on how to throw it away. When shopping, Poles often check the ingredients, parameters and properties of products, but much less often do they pay attention to other symbols on the packaging. Respondents are most often interested in the best-before date (85%) and product composition (76%). Ecological aspects such as country of origin, certificates, instructions for handling the packaging or its recyclability are of interest to a significant minority.
Nearly 40% respondents believe that product packaging contains too much information, making it difficult for them to find what they are looking for. Polish consumers also have problems correctly identifying packaging symbols. Only 11% of respondents recognise the recycling mark, which appears in the Polish regulation on packaging labelling. Even fewer (8% of those surveyed) encountered the reusable and compostable packaging mark. Only two symbols are commonly known among consumers - the international recycling symbol - the Möbius Ribbon - and 'keep clean' - the so-called TidyMan.
The report "Packing for trouble? - What Poles know about packaging and how they deal with waste segregation" is available under this link.
