Tesco Scheme Trials Discarding Excess Packaging

Date:2009-4-17 11:28:00

British supermarket giant Tesco is to encourage its customers to discard unwanted and excessive waste as part of a new scheme. The trial at some supermarkets in England will aim to find out which products customers are prepared to do without by allowing them to leave excess packaging for recycling once they get to the till. Common customer complains include the amount of plastic cardboard and foil used for Easter eggs, toothpaste packaging and trays and plastic film that protect fruit. At present, Tesco has more than 3,500 recycling and reducing Packaging projects and is diverting 87% of its waste from its store network away from landfill, compared with its target of 95% by the end of the year. Also this week, the UK’s Environment Agency revealed that British businesses have been hitting Packaging recycling targets in the last quarter 2008. This performance is likely to put the UK in a stronger position than expected for meeting business packaging recycling targets in 2009, reflected by the fact that PRN prices in March for many materials are now edging downwards, said the Agency. Top innovations this week come from Tropicana Products, a division of PepsiCo, which has launched new beverage Trop50, which it describes as a “breakthrough category innovation”. The new drink is a result of 18 months of research and contains 50% less sugar than orange juice, with no artificial sweeteners, said Tropicana. From food to pharmaceuticals packaging, the International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD) has produced a Braille standard for pharmaceutical Packaging in North America that to be published in May this year. The standard is modelled on the European directive for Braille on pharmaceuticals.