🤔 Ever wondered what happens to the soft plastic that you return to the supermarket for recycling? Well, we've managed to find out.
🕵️ We placed tracking devices into 40 bundles of soft plastic packaging and dropped them at front-of-store collection points at Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets across England.
🔥 The results of our investigation reveal that 70% of the tracked soft plastic bundles that reached a known destination is burnt, not recycled.
🚢 The rest ended up at recycling facilities that downcycle soft plastic waste into products other than packaging – the majority of which were in Türkiye.
⚠️ Environmental law NGO ClientEarth warns that there is strong evidence that soft plastic recycling claims are misleading the public.
🛒 Since 2021, major UK supermarkets, including Sainsbury's and Tesco, have been rolling out front-of-store collection points to recycle soft plastic packaging, while “Recycle with bags at large supermarkets” labels are now seen across an extensive range of soft plastic packaging.
🙅 But soft plastic packaging is acknowledged by the waste management industry and the UK Government to be incredibly challenging to recycle...
🏭 With plastic production set to triple by 2060, these schemes are a symptom of a system that is out of control.
🗣️ Supermarkets are part of the problem. But they’re also part of the solution. So we’re calling on Sainsbury’s and Tesco to publicly support a cut in global plastic production by 40% by 2040.
Full report | Summary | Sign the petition >> https://lnkd.in/e4KhApCw
Big shout outs to all those who made this happen, in particular Alison Colclough, Lauren W., Katie-Scarlett Wetherall, Amelia Temple, Julia Bell, Charlie Bolderow, Johnny White, Christina Dixon, Anaïs Rivalier, Amy Youngman, Paul Woolwich, Jan Dell, the brilliant teams at Environmental Investigation Agency and ClientEarth, Marcela Teran, Ben Pipa, all the Everyday Plastic volunteers, and everyone else who has supported and advised us over the last year.
FYI Nusa Urbancic, Emma Priestland, Nina Schrank, Natalie Fée, Jo Royle, Hugo Tagholm, Von Hernandez, Catherine Conway, Amy Meek, Paula Chin – Break Free From Plastic, Greenpeace UK, City to Sea, Common Seas, Changing Markets Foundation