STUDY REVEALS: Best and worst supermarkets for recyclable packaging.24. Juni 2019 | via Housebeautiful.com
STUDY REVEALS: Best and worst supermarkets for recyclable packaging.
24. Juni 2019 | Waste | via Housebeautiful.com
The shocking statistics reveal that only 52 per cent of packaging sold in stores (including cardboard, glass and plastics) is genuinely recyclable. (Credit: Pixabay)
New Which? investigation has uncovered that almost half of the food packaging used by major UK supermarket chains cannot be recycled, despite having 'recyclable' written on the label, according to an article on housebeautiful.com.
The shocking statistics reveal that only 52 per cent of packaging sold in stores (including cardboard, glass and plastics) is genuinely recyclable.
Which? looked into the packaging of a typical household shop. The shopping basket included 46 of the most popular items sold in Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
As part of the research, the team broke down each of the items' packaging components to find out which could be recycled and which could not.
The best supermarkets for recyclable packaging are Tesco and Waitrose, where 40 per cent of their packaging could not be easily recycled. As a bonus, when Which? placed an online order of household essentials from Tesco, they were happy to see that the potatoes and bananas arrived loose.
Despite this being the best result, 40 per cent is still a high percentage and it's worth noting that the food miles involved in online food shopping also have an environmental impact.
Morrisons came in at the bottom of the list, with 61 per cent of its packaging being non-recyclable. Many of its produce came wrapped in a non-recyclable plastic film, which commonly ends up in landfill.
Supermarkets ranked from best to worst for recyclable packaging
Tesco – 40 per cent of packaging not recyclable
Waitrose – 40 per cent
Sainsbury's – 45 per cent
Aldi – 47 per cent
M&S – 47 per cent
Iceland – 48 per cent
Ocado – 49 per cent
Asda – 50 per cent
Lidl – 50 per cent
Morrisons – 61 per cent
via Housebeautiful.com