From:Packaging News
Morrisons has announced the removal of expanded polystyrene packaging from all of its own brand groceries.
Morrisons supermarket in Colindale
The supermarket said it is taking the step, which will prevent 600 tonnes of the material being disposed of every year, as polystyrene is not recyclable through kerbside collections and can last for hundreds of years.
Morrisons used polystyrene on its fresh food counters – for meat and fish trays – and as a base for in-store-made pizzas plus some frozen desserts and cakes.
The retailer will instead introduce cardboard bases for pizzas and frozen goods. The new packaging will also tell customers how it can be recycled, with the clear trays featuring the wording “rinse and recycle” on the bottom.
Natasha Cook, packaging manager at Morrisons, said: “Polystyrene is a particularly difficult material to recycle – so we wanted to take it out of our products quickly.
“Taking plastic out of the environment remains one of our customers’ most pressing concerns so we continue to remove unnecessary plastic packaging or make it more recyclable.”
Expanded polystyrene incorporates plastic which has been injected with air for light-weighting. The low plastic content means it has little value to recyclers and is therefore incinerated or sent to landfill.
Morrisons has a target to make all of its own-brand plastic packaging being reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
It is also one of the original signatories to WRAP’s UK Plastics PACT.
