Packaging will be made into plastic pellets, which will ultimately be recycled into items such as outdoor furniture, waste bins or storage boxes.
Intersnack Group subsidiary KP Snacks has teamed up with TerraCycle to launch a recycling scheme for its packs of nuts, popcorn, crisps and pretzels.
The free-to-use initiative will tap into an established network of recycling collection points across the UK. Packaging will be cleaned and made into small plastic pellets, which will then ultimately be recycled into items including outdoor furniture, waste bins or storage boxes.
To encourage collection and return of the packets for recycling, the scheme offers charity points based on the number of bags collected, which can be redeemed for a variety of charitable gifts or payment to a non-profit organisation.
UK-based KP – which bought Tyrrells last year and owns brands such as Hula Hoops, Butterkist, and Skips – aims for all its packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
The business said it has been reducing its packaging usage over the last few years, most recently investing in its Ashby facility to enable a 23% reduction in the amount of packaging required on Hula Hoops multipacks. These new packs are being rolled out across the UK, and will be introduced to other brands in the future.
Mark Thorpe, KP Snacks CEO, said: “Plastic reduction is a significant challenge across both the manufacturing and retail environment that requires collaborative and innovative approaches. Giving consumers access to better recycling facilities is just one solution to a complex and challenging issue.
“The initiative forms part of our longer-term commitment which will also see us reduce the amount of packaging across our portfolio, with an ultimate goal of making all of our plastic fully recyclable by 2025 as part of our membership of the UK Plastics Pact.”
Earlier this year, TerraCycle, alongside a coalition of leading food and drink companies, unveiled a new online shopping concept that aims to challenge the reliance on single-use packaging.
Called Loop, the initiative seeks to enable shoppers to responsibly consume a variety of products in customised, brand-specific packaging that is collected, cleaned, refilled and reused. The content, if recoverable, will be either recycled or reused.
Speaking to FoodBev last month, TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky said the project has been well-received by the public. “I think the world is ready for schemes like this, because consumers and manufacturers have come to realise that recycling is critically important to help a symptom, but it is not going to solve waste at the root cause.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024