Buổi 27: Reading – Sentence completion trên văn bản học thuật (bao bì & rác thải)

Rethinking packaging

(Bài đọc tự viết; công ty, nhà nghiên cứu và số liệu là giả định.)

A Walk into any supermarket and you will see that almost every product is wrapped in something: plastic film around vegetables, cardboard boxes around toothpaste, and several layers of packaging around electronic goods. Packaging has important functions. It protects products from damage, keeps food fresh for longer and provides information such as ingredients and expiry dates. However, much of it is used only once and thrown away within minutes.

B In the city of Belmont, researchers at the local university spent a year analysing the contents of household bins. Dr Ana Ruiz, who led the study, found that packaging made up a large share of household waste, and that plastic film was among the most difficult materials to recycle. “Consumers often assume that anything with a recycling symbol will be recycled,” she explains, “but in practice many types of plastic film are rejected by recycling plants because they are too thin or too dirty.”

C Manufacturers have responded in several ways. Some have made their packaging lighter, using less material for the same product. Others have switched to materials that are easier to recycle, such as cardboard or a single type of plastic, instead of mixtures that cannot be separated. A few have introduced refill systems, where customers bring their own containers to the shop.

D New materials are also being developed. So-called biodegradable plastics are designed to break down naturally, but Dr Ruiz warns that many of them only do so under specific conditions in industrial facilities. “If they end up in the sea or in an ordinary landfill, they may last for years,” she says. Compostable packaging made from plant materials seems more promising, although it is currently more expensive to produce.

E Governments are beginning to play a larger role. In Belmont, a new regulation requires large companies to pay a fee for every tonne of packaging they put on the market. The money is used to improve recycling facilities. Supporters argue that this encourages firms to use less packaging, while critics fear that the extra costs will simply be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.