Is milk packaging harmful to the environment?

It is inevitable that the commercial production of food has some level of impact on the environment. However, the dairy industry is striving to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions across all areas of production, including packaging. Nowadays, the majority of milk sold in Ireland comes in a recyclable plastic container or carton. The plastic containers are most commonly made from high density polyethylene (HDPE). Milk cartons for refrigeration are mainly made from paper, in the form of cardboard, as well as thin layers of the same plastic, polyethylene.

Plastic containers are marked with a resin identification code (RIC) to signify the type of plastic used. The RIC for HDPE is a triangular symbol of arrows with a number 2 in the centre. These codes help to sort the different plastics to help recycling.