The Co-op has introduced new pizza packaging that utilises corrugated cardboard discs instead of non-recyclable polystyrene in an effort to tackle landfill waste.
The grocery chain said the use of cardboard discs in all 17 of its own-brand pizzas will prevent 200 tonnes of polystyrene boards going to landfill, and create almost 450 tonnes of cardboard for recycling annually.
The news comes as the retailer prepares to set a target to make 100 per cent of its own-brand packaging recyclable, including an immediate target of making 80 per cent of own-brand packaging recyclable by 2020.
Its members will vote on whether to approve the proposal at the Co-op’s annual general meeting on May 20.
Some innovations already introduced to achieve the target include changing black to widely-recycled blue plastic for mushrooms, and swapping to a single plastic material for cooked meat trays.
The Co-op will also be moving from black plastic to card packaging for tomatoes later this year.
“Pizza discs have been high on our priority list for some time, and we‘ve been working hard to find the right replacement,” Co-op environment manager Iain Gerguson said.
“This change is a major step in our journey to make all of our packaging easy to recycle, and we will be making further announcements on packaging in the months ahead.”
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