Sainsbury’s trials UK-wide polypropylene recycling scheme ahead of Plastics Tax

23 Feb 2021 --- UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is trialing a new local recycling system for flexible plastics to make recycling easier for its customers. Polypropylene (PP) packaging such as salad and frozen food bags will be disposable at all of its UK stores by the end of 2021. 

The launch comes as part of Sainsbury’s commitment to increase recycling in its operations and make it easier for customers by offering store recycling locations.

Speaking to PackagingInsights, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson explains, “by trialing flexible film recycling points in our stores and accepting more of the packaging our customers may be unable to recycle at home, we are helping our customers reduce plastic waste.”

“The recycling of the collected film will be primarily mechanical, however, alternative technologies are also under consideration.”

Last year, the retailer pledged to halve its use of plastic packaging by 2025 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, committing to investing £1 billion (US$1.3 billion).

The trial is already underway at 63 of Sainsbury’s stores in North East England and rolling out to all stores before 2022, making it the largest PP film recycling trial in the UK supermarket industry, says Sainsbury’s. 

Polypropylene’s problems
Sainsbury’s highlights PP packaging “continues to be the most appropriate material used to package food and keep products fresh” until a viable, more eco-friendly alternative is introduced. 

Polypropylene is common in cereal bags, biscuit wrappers and retail bags.However, PP is the cause of much plastic pollution in the UK and elsewhere. Sainsbury’s is drawing attention to a report published by Valpak and anti-plastics charity WRAP, discovering 266,000 tons of plastic packaging waste in 2019 came from PP plastics.

Moreover, 80,000 tons came from PP film. According to the report, if mono-material polyethylene (PE) and PP films were recycled, 79 percent of UK packaging would be classed as recyclable. 

The lack of public infrastructure exacerbates this situation, the Sainsbury’s spokesperson explains. 

“PP film currently isn’t accepted by most councils in the UK, which means customers are currently unable to recycle it at home.”

“To make it easier to recycle flexible plastic packaging, customers will be able to put their PP plastics into the same recycling bins currently provided in Sainsbury’s stores that collect PE plastics.”

UK Plastics Pact 
The retailer asserts its new recycling efforts are a step toward aligning with the impending UK Plastics Tax.

The tax is a draft legislation, through which a £200 (US$264) per ton tax rate for plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled plastic produced or imported into the UK will be levied. 

Expected to be enforced as of April 2022, the tax is designed to provide a clear economic incentive for businesses to use recycled material in plastic packaging. 

Sainsbury’s recently launched several other initiatives in preparation for the tax, including removing plastic entirely “wherever possible” and replacing it with alternative materials.

“We are encouraging the collection and recycling of monolayer polyolefins such as PE and PP films as a test and learn trial in alignment with industry guidelines, improving plastic collection and recycling rates,” continues the spokesperson. 

“We are also actively exploring opportunities for recycling all types of flexible packaging.”

By Louis Gore-Langton