GREENPEACE volunteers and shoppers have been handing items of single-use plastic packaging back at tills in Sainsbury’s, Water Lane, with notes to store managers calling for action to reduce excessive throwaway packaging.
Shoppers were encouraged to remove unnecessary plastic packaging from items they had purchased and leave it at the checkout, handing responsibility for its disposal back to the company selling it.
Single-use plastic packaging is a major contributor to the plastic pollution that is having a devastating impact on our oceans, as seen in the BBC series, Blue Planet, and UK supermarkets generate more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste every year.
Greenpeace volunteers visited more than 60 supermarkets in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“After Blue Planet and the general outrage over plastic pollution, I was amazed to see Tesco, Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets still selling foods like bananas and broccoli wrapped in plastic.
“Many people we spoke to made it clear that they were not happy seeing our planet polluted with so much of this pointless packaging. One customer even came with her own letter for Sainsbury’s after hearing online about our plans for the day, plus a tied-up packet of plastic from items previously purchased in Sainsbury’s Farnham. “We need the supermarkets to make concrete steps to significantly reduce the amount of plastic they produce. Unless they take action, the pollution is only going to get worse.”
Responding to this initiative, a spokesperson for Sainsbury’s, which is a member of the UK Plastics Pact, said: “We’re committed to ensuring our packaging is as recyclable as it can be and are one of few retailers to invest in recycling facilities at many of our supermarkets.
“Our Water Lane store is a good example of this and offers recycling for a range of items and materials - from plastic bottles and cartons, to shoes, clothing, cardboard and paper.”
They added: “Where we can’t offer a recyclable alternative for packaging, we’ll look to use as little of it as possible. However, it’s important to remember that the purpose of packaging is to protect products through our supply chain, in our stores and in customers’ homes to ensure that products don’t get damaged or contaminated.”
A petition by Greenpeace UK is calling on supermarkets to reduce the volume of throwaway plastic packaging they produce - anybody wishing to sign it should go to tinyurl.com/ybock52y.