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Packaging

Our Packaging

Product packaging and researching eco-friendly options is a continuous area of focus for Ocean Mist Farms. To help determine the recyclable or compostable level of any OMF packaging, please find the code number printed on the packaging you purchased and click links below to learn about the SPI Material Container Coding System. Education is the first step to reducing our carbon footprints!

 

Select a Recycle Symbol to View Its Meaning:

1: PET or PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate)
Found in: Soft drink and water bottles, boil-in-bag containers, condiment containers
Recycling: Most curbside recycling programs
Recycled into: Fleece and other fibers, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling

2: HDPE (High density polyethylene)
Found in: Milk jugs, personal care bottles, trash and shopping bags, butter/yogurt tubs, cereal box liners
Recycling: Most curbside recycling programs
Recycled into: Detergent bottles, pens, floor tile, pipe, lumber, outdoor furniture, fencing

3: V or PVC (Vinyl or polyvinyl chloride)
Found in: Cleaning product bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, medical equipment, siding, windows, piping
Recycling: Rarely recycled but accepted by some plastic lumber makers
Recycled into: Decks, paneling, mud flaps, gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats

4: LDPE (Low density polyethylene)
Found in: Grocery bags, dry cleaning bags, squeezable bottles, tote bags, clothing, furniture, carpet
Recycling: Not often recycled through curbside programs; shopping bags can be recycled at many stores
Recycled into: Trash cans/liners, compost bins, shipping envelopes, lumber, landscaping, tile

5: PP (Polypropylene)
Found in: Syrup/ketchup bottles, yogurt containers, drink lids, caps and straws, medicine bottles
Recycling: Recycled through some curbside programs
Recycled into: Streetlights, battery cables, brooms, rakes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, bins

6: PS (Polystyrene)
Found in: Disposable dishes, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, medicine bottles, CD cases
Recycling: Recycled through some curbside programs
Recycled into: Insulation, light-switch plates, egg cartons, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers

7: (Miscellaneous, including polycarbonate)
Found in: “Bullet-proof” materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod/computer cases, signs and displays, food containers, nylon
Recycling: Traditionally not recycled; some curbside programs now take them
Recycled into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products

 

Our Shipping Containers
At Ocean Mist Farms, our focus is not only on the packaging that the product is wrapped or enclosed in, but also the packaging that the product is shipped in through the distribution system to store level.

RPC’s (Reusable Plastic Containers) have been in use by the produce industry for more than 10 years for retail customers that can handle them properly (returning them to a warehouse for reuse). For smaller retail chains, fiber cartons are still a preferred shipping container. In 2009, Ocean Mist Farms developed a recyclable carton to replace the commonly used waxed carton.

Waxless Cartons - Ocean Mist Farms’ alternative to the industry standard of waterproof-waxed cartons

Ocean Mist Farms’ ClimaProof® carton line is a waxless, recyclable carton alternative to the traditional industry standard of a waxed carton for hydro-cooled or iced vegetable commodities of Celery, Broccoli and Romaine Lettuce. These waxless alternative cartons are approved and certified by the Fiber Box Association for their recyclability/repulpability and are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
 

Because these waxless alternative cartons are recyclable (unlike their waxed predecessors), they can be placed in regular corrugated container bales which minimizes the amount of paper that goes into a landfill and increases grocers’ recycling revenue (see diagram below).

The ClimaProof® carton is encapsulated in a thin film that makes the cardboard waterproof. Ocean Mist performed comparative side-by-side shipping tests (waxed versus waxless cartons) with our retail customers to confirm the ClimaProof® carton maintained the same performance level as the wax-cascaded versions during the cooling process and throughout the supply chain.

Once baled at the retail store with regular corrugated cartons, the bale is shipped to a paper mill that uses recycled fiber. At the mill, the bale is placed into a repulper, which is a large silo that combines the bale with hot water to begin the breakdown of the corrugated fibers. The repulper is able to separate and remove any debris (plastic films, inks and glues) from the paper fiber. The separated paper fiber is then used to make new paper. This, in turn, is shipped to a carton plant like International Paper’s Yuma, Ariz., facility to make more cartons or other paper products (refer to diagram below).

 

 
 
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