U.K based consumer group Which? has released a study showing that up to a fifth of the U. K’s supermarket plastics can’t be recycled. The consumer group analysed the packaging of 27 everyday private label items from ten different supermarkets and found that the vast majority were unable to be recycled.
Global discount supermarket Lidl was found to be the worst offender with just 71 per cent of the companies packaging being readily recyclable. Other shamed chains included Iceland with only 73 per cent of its packaging being recyclable, Ocado with 74 per cent and the U. K’s seconds largest supermarket chain Sainsbury’s with only 75 per cent.
The supermarket with the highest amount of recyclable packing was the U. K’s fourth largest supermarket chain, Morrisons with just 19 per cent of its packaging being hard to recycle. The report showcased examples of Morrison's greener alternative packagings such as serving cakes in recyclable plastics boxes and the use of recyclable clear plastic packaging for meat.
Common non-recyclable packaging that was found was black plastic meal trays, polystyrene pizza bases and fruit that came in nets with plastic labels that are not able to be recycled in the UK.
