Flexible plastics are currently not accepted by most councils in the UK with around only 16 per cent of UK, councils offering flexible plastic recycling facilities. Resulting in customers being unable to recycle their different types of flexible plastics near where they live.
In February we launched across 63 stores in Northeast England, a trial offering customers the opportunity to bring back packaging made from PP (Polypropylene) film for recycling - a type of plastic commonly used for items such as salad bags, frozen food bags and rice packaging. Due to a successful trial and through a partnership with the Flexible Plastic Fund initiative, Sainsbury's has been able to offer front of store flexible plastic recycling points to 100 per cent of our supermarkets. This provides our customers and colleagues the opportunity to recycle more and therefore be more sustainable with their waste.
Below is a list of materials you can now bring to all our UK supermarkets and how to deposit correctly.
All items should be clean and free of food
All sticky labels removed where possible
In 2019, we were the first major retailer in the UK to make a commitment to reduce our use of plastic packaging, across our own brand and branded products, by 50% by 2025. This is an ambitious target and we are making significant progress towards reaching it, however, we can’t get there on our own. We will continue to collaborate within our industry, working closely with our suppliers, engaging our colleagues and customers to deliver against our ambitious target and exploring ways to make recycling easier for everyone.
More on our approach to recycling