When it comes to packaging, we’re definitely not perfect, but we do promise that there are heaps going on behind the scenes to reduce the amount we use and make it recyclable.
It’s a really tricky one as different materials are recycled in different ways by different councils. But we can’t wait for the infrastructure to catch up. That’s why (finger’s crossed!) we’ll have some great news to share with you on this soon.
Here’s a quick guide so you know what do with our packaging. This is based on the latest OPRL guidance. www.oprl.org.uk
We’ve also signed up to the UK Plastics Pact – a world first that means we’re working on hitting the following ambitious targets as quickly as possible:
You can find out more about the UK Plastics Pact here: www.wrap.org.uk/content/the-uk-plastics-pact
*Where can I find plastic carrier bag recycling facilities?
The bag that you find inside our boxes of Country Crisp and Muesli can be recycled with carrier bags at larger supermarkets. Simply look out for a carrier bag recycling bin at the front of the store the next time you do your weekly food shop.
We’ve found the carrier bag bins tend to be at the front of larger supermarkets as you go in and after often in a tall tower shape. If you can’t spot it immediately, the shop’s customer services should be able to help.
We’ve looked into compostable packaging materials, and after careful consideration, we don’t believe that compostable plastics are right for right now.
This is because whilst compostable packaging materials have the potential to break down more quickly than conventional packaging, they will only do so if exposed to very specific conditions.
Depending on the material, different levels of warmth, moisture, microbes and oxygen are all required to break compostable packaging down. Whilst these conditions are found in home compost heaps and Industrial Composting facilities, most of us don’t have access to these facilities. For example, only 3%* of UK households have home compost heaps and the majority of Council food waste collections go to ‘Anaerobic Digesters’ - a totally different process to composting.
The lack of composting facilities means that most compostable packaging is likely to end up with general waste where they are unlikely to degrade as landfill does not have the composting conditions needed to break them down. The same goes for compostable packaging that leaks out into the environment: composting conditions are not present in the open countryside or in our oceans meaning compostable packaging has the potential to litter our land & oceans in the same way as plastic does.
There is also the risk that compostable packaging is often indistinguishable from plastic packaging, and so can contaminate the plastic recycling process.
With all of this in mind, we currently do not believe compostable plastics are a sustainable solution until a better composting infrastructure is developed within the UK. This is why we are exploring alternatives that already have established recycling infrastructures in the UK & abroad.
