Tesco to Start Recycling Bread Bags and Chips Packaging

Tesco is rolling out collection points for soft plastic packaging like crisp packets, pet food pouches and bread bags at stores in England and Wales. According to the BBC, the supermarket chain is aiming to establish a nationwide recycling network for these harder to process plastics. Currently most soft plastic ends up in landfill.

The recycled material will be used to package food, household and beauty products, Tesco said. The supermarket added that it prioritized reducing the plastic packaging it used, but that the new service would also have “a real impact”.

“Where plastic serves an important purpose such as reducing food waste, these new recycling points make sure that every piece can be easily recycled,” said Sarah Bradbury, Tesco’s director of quality.

The roll-out will start with new collection points at 171 stores in the south west of England and in Wales. During a 10-store trial in 2018 Tesco said the most commonly returned packaging was bread bags, fruit and vegetable packaging, crisp packets, salad bags, and baby and pet food pouches.

Customers may return packaging bought from other retailers as well as Tesco’s own packaging, however they will need to clean items that are heavily soiled and take them back to participating stores, while the rest of their recycling is collected at the kerbside.

Tesco said it expected to collect 1,000 tons of soft plastic a year. According to an estimate, UK supermarkets produce 800,000 tons of plastic every year.