Tesco and Sainsbury’s have come under fire for allegedly misleading customers regarding their front-of-store recycling schemes. An investigation revealed that most soft plastic returned to the stores was actually burned, rather than recycled. The Everyday Plastic campaign group and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA UK) monitored 40 bundles of soft plastic waste through supermarket take-back schemes in England.
Both Tesco and Sainsbury’s have introduced front-of-store collection points in an effort to tackle plastic waste footprints. Shoppers can deposit soft plastic packaging that is not recyclable through regular kerbside collections at these stores for recycling by the retailers. However, the investigation revealed that a significant portion of the plastic was incinerated or downcycled into lower-value products, with some even being sent overseas.
The campaigners expressed concerns that the recycling schemes at these supermarkets may be diverting attention from the larger issue of excessive plastic packaging production. They highlighted the lack of adequate recycling infrastructure in the UK, leading to the burning of a majority of the collected plastic waste for energy.
The revelations have sparked calls for action, coinciding with the upcoming UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. Campaign groups are urging the UK Government to support a 40% reduction in global plastic production by 2040. Additionally, they are calling for supermarkets to be transparent about their recycling processes and to prevent misleading claims about environmental impact.
In response to the allegations, Sainsbury’s mentioned improvements to its signage to enhance customer awareness of soft plastic recycling in their stores. The company noted that most of the plastic collected is recycled, but materials that are damaged may be converted for energy consumption. Tesco acknowledged errors in the handling of materials sent to Turkey but emphasized their efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle packaging where possible.
The investigation sheds light on the challenges faced by retailers and consumers in ensuring effective plastic waste management. While supermarket collection points have raised awareness and encouraged recycling habits, the broader issue of plastic packaging overproduction and limited recycling capacity in the UK remains a critical concern.