An argument for reusable packaging: resealable containers

Photocredit: Copyright Karen Cannard

featuring Country Farm Meats, Great Barton, Suffolk.

One of the key challenges to Zero Waste shopping has been avoiding plastic packaging. It's universal. However, the last 12 months has seen a personal effort focused on reducing landfill content, where plastic once comprised 30% of my household's waste and significant progress has been made.

The use of resealable containers and a return to a practice before the widespread application of disposable plastic packaging has proved to be the answer for reducing waste when purchasing loose produce of all kinds. The range includes meat, fish, cheese, fruit, vegetables, coffee beans, chocolates, home cosmetics and toiletries as well as take-away meals. There are exceptions for cooking and baking ingredients which are always plastic packaged.

The majority of the items are sold in local shops or specialised retailers with supermarkets having the widest potential for accepting container use, although there can be an awkwardness in dealing with staff there due to corporate practices and health and safety standards.

Superstores should realise that reusable packaging is good for the environment. If taken to a natural conclusion, there would be no packaging waste at all. A truly sustainable system of trading would be achieved, making Landfill and the more recent Incineration activity irrelevant or minimal.

Some leading superstores have proven to be co-operative in packaging fish/meat/dairy produce in reusable containers presented by the customer. Sainsbury's has proved best with Morrison's and Asda slightly more complicated.

While some products are easier to manage than others, the aim should be to increase the range of items, with food commodities top of the list. Unpackaged, a London shop-based business, provides access to the likes of desiccated coconut, dried fruit, rice and many other items. This could be the basis for countrywide trading. A link with other businesses, including superstores, would be one way to achieve that.

I would ask superstores to think "reusable" for their stores. They have non-customer type packages which are reusable, why not apply that throughout the business. After all they often sell food storage containers in the store, so why not encourage customers to buy them and reuse them for their shopping?

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Lakeland also offers a wide range of portable food storage containers as well as the more ubiquitous Tupperware. Why not check them out at www.lakeland.co.uk, www.tupperware.co.uk or the international site www.tupperware.com. If you prefer to avoid plastic storage systems, airtight stainless steel containers are also available from Canadian company www.lifewithoutplastic.com.

Plastic-free Easter Eggs from Nestlé UK

With Easter now upon us, it's interesting to hear the news from Nestlé that they've reduced packaging across the entire Easter egg range by 30%, and have gone plastic-free on nearly all the range.

According to Nestlé, it's the first time a big manufacturer has done so, and it's in response to consumers requesting these kind of changes, a move that is expected to save almost 700 tonnes of waste this year.

The company has conducted research into consumer attitudes to Easter eggs, and it turns out that British consumers are pretty eco-minded. More than half of Brits admit they have previously been put off Easter treats by excessive packaging (55%), but half of shoppers questioned said they would actually ditch their usual egg in favour of one with reduced packaging (51%). Two thirds of UK adults will be giving Easter eggs this year (64%), with the average Brit handing out two and a half eggs each.

Other interesting statistics are shared below.

*All small and medium eggs (80% of Nestlé's total range), from favourite brands such as SMARTIES®, KIT KAT®, AERO® and MILKY BAR®, will now come in a cardboard basket, which is easily recyclable

*Nestlé is also providing clear recycling information on the back of the boxes to help consumers

*The sweets inside SMARTIES® and MILKY BAR® small eggs have also had their plastic packaging removed

*Because eggs are more compact, the move will save 48,000 road miles in transporting Easter eggs

*The 30% reduction exceeds the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) industry agreement to reduce medium egg carton weight by 25%

*Overall waste from all Easter eggs sold in UK in 2006 - 4,500 tonnes p.a. WRAP

*Waste saved by Nestlé's packaging reduction: 700 tonnes in 2009

*Nestlé sells one in four of the UK's Easter eggs Neilsen, data to w/e 22 March 08

*Easter chocolate sales represent 10% of Britain's annual chocolate sales

*Nestlé Confectionery will produce 25 million chocolate eggs for Easter 2009