ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners staged a ‘Mass Unwrap’ at Haslemere Tesco to flag up how much unnecessary plastic is used to wrap up our fruit and vegetables.

Town action group Love Haslemere Hate Waste organised the event on January 18, in partnership with the supermarket branch, and campaigners said the response from shoppers to the initiative was “phenomenal”.

A team of volunteers were at the ready from 10am to midday to help customers leaving the superstore to unpack all the unnecessary plastic, which Tesco would then recycle.

Shoppers were asked to bring their own bags and give back any wrappings surplus to requirements.

Saturday’s event followed on from the first nationwide Mass Unwrap in March 2019 by marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage, in its call for action to tackle wasteful and avoidable single-use plastic.

The charity is calling on supermarkets to reduce and redesign packaging and take full responsibility for their business practices, after the Mass Unwrap events revealed the true extent of plastic waste being sold.

In its ‘Checking Out on Plastics’ report, environment agency Greenpeace revealed 59 billion pieces of plastic packaging are distributed by supermarkets every year – 112,000 pieces every minute.

More than 100 supporters attended the launch of Love Haslemere Hate Waste in June 2019 by St Bartholomew’s Primary School governor Victoria Page, a successful brand strategist and sustainability champion.

Its first aim is to focus on reducing single-use plastic in partnership with the Surfers Against Sewage plastic-free communities initiative.

Victoria, who led Saturday’s event, said: “We had a phenomenal response, with loads of people taking part.

“Why cover fruit with added plastic when it has a natural skin?

“We are working with companies to find different solutions that are more sustainable and also encouraging people to think about their environment.”

Haslemere Tesco community champion, Anita Cumber, said: “We are trying to do as much as we can to reduce waste as a company.

“We are sending all the unwrapped packaging for recycling.

“Reducing unnecessary waste is important for us all. We must think about the future for our children and grandchildren.

“Tesco works with Fareshare to redistribute surplus food and we also donate our food waste to charities.”