How sustainable tape can solve sticky recycling issues — new video posted to AP Newsroom

In this video, he explains why cardboard boxes covered in tape make recycling difficult and how sustainable alternatives could make things better for both consumers and the environment. 

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Storyline 

Jonathan Wilker is a Purdue University professor of chemistry in the College of Science and of materials engineering. In this video, he explains why cardboard boxes covered in tape make recycling difficult and how sustainable alternatives could make things better — both for consumers and the environment. The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year for sending and receiving packages. Wilker says adhesives like tape and glue are in everything from furniture, electronics, packaging and shoes. Unfortunately, current petroleum-based adhesives are not recyclable and take a long time to break down once thrown away. This also makes recycling cardboard boxes difficult, as they are often covered in tape that is hard to remove. Wilker’s lab is working to create new adhesives that are sustainably sourced, potentially carbon negative and low cost. His team hopes that new sustainable adhesives can make recycling easier and reduce environmental damage. More information is available at https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2023/Q3/solving-stickiness-sustainably.html.  

About Purdue University 

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new