Snack brand Walkers has announced the launch of UK’s first nationwide recycling scheme for crisp packets in collaboration with the recycling company TerraCycle.
Collection points will be set up all across the country and consumers will be encouraged to drop their packets there. Alternatively, they can also post them, free of charge, to TerraCycle.
The general manager of PepsiCo UK, Ian Ellington, said, “We share people’s concerns about the amount of plastic in our environment and are working on a number of both short and long-term solutions to reduce the impact of our packaging.”
Repurposing Plastic Waste
TerraCycle will clean, shred and turn the packets into small plastic pellets, which will further be converted into useful items, like benches and fence posts.
The general manager of TerraCycle Europe, Laure Cucuron, said, “We hope other snacks manufacturers will follow suit, by investing in new ways to reduce the amount of packaging that goes to landfill and incineration.”
The new recycling scheme will be functional from December of this year. Full details of how the scheme will work and the location of the collection points have not been announced yet.
The scheme will accept all crisp packets.
Sustainability
The move is in line with Walkers’ ambition to make all of its packaging 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025.
Although crisp packets are technically recyclable, they were not being separated or collected for recycling. The investment by Walkers’ is making it possible for the first time.
“We’re determined to crack this in the long term and have a number of initiatives underway to create the right materials and environment for the crisp packets of the future,” Ellington added.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
