From:Packaging News

Tesco has worked with Recoup and Eurokey Recycling to turn its plastic waste into single use carrier bags.  
 

Britain’s largest supermarket now has its back of store plastic waste, such as pallet and multi-pack wrapping, turned into single use carrier bags, made from 100% recycled LDPE, in collaboration with Papier-Mettler.

As a result, Tesco offers carrier bags made of post-consumer recycled material, produced using its own plastic waste, thus closing the material loop.

Eighty-percent of the material is post-consumer plastic waste with the remaining 20% being made up of recycled plastic waste from the production process onsite.

The bags will be available throughout the supermarket chain for Tesco consumers.

Robin Hughes, procurement manager at Tesco, said  commented “We are extremely proud to work with these suppliers to turn plastics from our business generated waste into our single use carrier bags. We believe that recycling materials back into products makes sense for the industry and the environment.”

The material is collected by Eurokey who then sort the plastics at their facility in Eastern Europe to prepare the LDPE for reprocessing.

The plastics are processed and granulated at the Papier-Mettler facility in Morbach, Germany.

The granulated recycled LDPE is used to produce Tesco single use carrier bags as well as a part element of the Bag for Life.

Stuart Foster, Recoup chief executive, said: “It is a perfect example of how joined up actions between the supply and recycling chain can deliver efficient recycling of plastic resources in a transparent way. A true plastics recycling success story and an example for others to follow”.

Marcus Gover, director, WRAP, added: “Tesco’s move to include post-consumer plastic waste in their new carrier bags is a positive and welcome step. Tesco shoppers will now be able to appreciate first-hand the potential for recycled plastic and it will help reinforce a positive recycling message.”