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Discount supermarket Aldi is introducing clear, recyclable plastic trays as packaging for selected ranges of fresh produce. This change, if successful is estimated to save a massive 265 tonnes of plastic packaging every year.
This month, the supermarket will trial the new packaging with six of its product ranges: the Piccolo Tomatoes, Specially Selected Sunstream Tomatoes, Specially Selected Mixed Baby Plum Tomatoes, Specially Selected Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Fresh Babycorn and Asparagus.
The old packaging, which was made from black plastic, often ends up going to landfill by mistake because of a flaw in the way recycling is sorted. The new clear plastic is being introduced in the hopes of overcoming this.
As well as the new trays, Aldi is replacing its pasta pots with new pots made from 95% recycled material. This move is estimated to cut a further 139 tonnes of plastic waste each year. Aldi is also one of the 42 businesses that signed up to support the UK Plastics Pact.
Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi, told The Sun: ‘We are doing all we can to cut the amount of unnecessary packaging and plastics we use and are working to ensure all our packaging can be either reused, recycled or composted by 2025.’
He said: ‘One part of that is to prevent plastic going to landfill by using materials that are easier to recycle – like these clear trays – but also to ensure that there is a demand for recycled plastic by using it in products like our pasta pots.’
