When we fail to recycle packaging waste, it detrimentally impacts the environment, often ending up in landfill sites or being incinerated. Materials like plastic and metal, when sent to landfill, can persist for centuries, breaking down and leaching toxic substances into the soil and surrounding waterways. This contamination can lead to enduring harm to ecosystems.

Choosing to incinerate packaging waste over recycling and repurposing it into new products consumes far more energy and can emit harmful gases like vinyl chloride and hexane into the atmosphere. This contributes to air pollution, which poses health risks to humans, animals, and plant life alike.