// Tesco rolls out “soft plastic” recycling points for old packaging such as bread bags, pet food pouches & crisp packets
// Available in 171 stores in the south-west of England & Wales with plans to roll out to all large stores nationwide
// Tesco says the move will provide the UK’s biggest network of recycling points for soft plastic
Tesco has started rolling out “soft plastic” recycling points so customers can recycle old packaging such as bread bags, pet food pouches and crisp packets.
The Big 4 retailer said it had started putting the recycling points into 171 stores in the south-west of England and Wales with plans to roll out to all large stores nationwide, following a successful trial in 10 shops.
Once collected, the soft plastic packaging brought back by customers is sent for recycling where it is washed, sorted and processed before being turned into new packaging for food, household and beauty products.
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Tesco said the trial had seen customers return more than 10 times the expected amount of plastic, with bread bags, fruit and vegetable packaging, crisp packets, salad bags, baby and pet food pouches topping the list of items returned.
Material already collected has been used to produce food grade packaging for a selection of Tesco cheeses.
The supermarket said the move would provide the UK’s biggest network of recycling points for soft plastic, which is not commonly recycled by councils in kerbside collections and often ends up in the bin.
It expects to collect and recycle 1000 tonnes of plastic a year through the scheme, with consumers allowed to return all their soft plastic, regardless of where they bought it.
“It is an absolute priority to remove and reduce as much plastic as possible and ensure everything we use is recycled and kept out of the environment,” Tesco quality director Sarah Bradbury said.
“Where plastic serves an important purpose such as reducing food waste, these new recycling points make sure that every piece can be easily recycled.
“Trials have shown they are popular with customers, so we believe rolling them out at scale will have a real impact.”
The move has been welcomed by environmental charity WWF.
“Plastic pollution is one of the most visible symptoms of the environmental crisis and is devastating our natural world,” WWF sustainable materials specialist Paula Chin said.
“Businesses, governments and households have all got an important part to play in tackling the issue, so it’s encouraging to see Tesco extending their successful soft plastics collection trial across more of their stores, giving their customers even more opportunity to recycle these valuable materials.”
with PA Wires
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