PakTech Plastic Paradox
PakTechs are the plastic carriers that clip-on to four or six-packs of beer cans. Many beer drinkers don’t realize that these are actually recyclable and most PakTechs end up in the garbage. If they do get put into recycling, they still don’t get recycled due to the sorting system not being able to sort them correctly due to their size and flat nature. So, they get sent to landfill or are incinerated. I have designed tags, stickers, and an informative and interactive container to collect the tops in, intended to be a nudge to encourage beer drinkers to bring PakTechs back to their local brewery. As drinkers collect the tops in the box, it fills the snifter glass, encouraging them to bring them to their local brewery once it is full. A QR code can be easily scanned to find the closest place to return PakTechs. Many breweries can re-use them, as well as recycle them properly. The manufacturer of PakTechs runs a program with breweries to ensure that these get recycled properly, or even turned into something else like park benches, flower pots, and more!