A new investigation has uncovered that almost half of the food packaging used by major UK supermarket chains can not be recycled, despite having ‘recyclable’ written on the label.
The shocking statistics reveal that only 52% 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…
The best supermarkets for recyclable packaging are Tesco and Waitrose, where 40% 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% is still a high percentage and it’s worth noting that the food miles involved in online food shopping also have an environmental impact.
The worst supermarket for recyclable packaging is…
Morrisons came in at the bottom of the list, with 61% 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% of packaging not recyclable
- Waitrose – 40%
- Sainsbury’s – 45%
- Aldi – 47%
- M&S – 47%
- Iceland – 48%
- Ocado – 49%
- Asda – 50%
- Lidl – 50%
- Morrisons – 61%
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The investigators behind the research felt surprised at the lack of consistency when it came to packaging across various supermarket stores. For example, M&S bacon rashers advised shoppers that only the black tray was recyclable, while Lidl said theirs used completely non-recyclable plastics.
The study also found that…
- The worst offender for poor labelling was Iceland, which only had 38% of packaging correctly labelled
- 58% of the packaging materials used by the Co-op were also not widely recyclable
- Organic waste, including leftover food, has a bigger carbon footprint than plastic
“Our research shows there is a lot more supermarkets and manufacturers can do to banish single-use plastics and make sure any packaging they do use is minimal, recyclable and correctly labelled, so that shoppers know exactly how they can recycle it,” Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said.
“To reduce the waste that goes to landfill, the government must make labelling mandatory, simple and clear as well as invest in better infrastructure to ensure that recycling is easy for everyone, regardless of where they live,” Natalie continues.
Which? is also calling on the government to make labels clearer, so people know exactly how to safely recycle the various parts.
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