Protests work, even if they do royally p*ss off the postman.
After environmental campaigners clogged up postboxes by sending their crisps packets to Walkers, the crisp manufacturer has announced the UKs first nationwide recycling scheme for crisp packets.
In case you missed it, people were sending Walkers their old crisp bags because they couldnt be easily recycled.
Walkers said they would be using recyclable packaging by 2025, but campaigners said too much damage would be done in the seven-year wait. So they decided to draw attention to the issue by sticking Walkers freepost labels to empty packets and sending them back.
Now, Walkers has announced the launch of a nationwide recycling scheme for their packaging. See? Told you protests work.
The new scheme will encourage customers to drop off their packets at public access collection points, or post them for free in an envelope addressed directly to TerraCycle.
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The packets will be collected, cleaned, shredded, and turned into small plastic pellets which will then be used to make useful plastic items, such as benches and fence posts. Smart.
The scheme wont only be open to Walkers packets, so dont worry if youre an environmentalist with a passion for Kettle Chips. The recycling programme has been made with recycling company TerraCyle, so all crisp packets will be accepted.
Therell be a short wait before we can all enjoy those little potato bites without the guilt of wrecking the plant. The recycling scheme will be up and running from December 2018, and all the details of collection point locations will be announced closer to the time.
Walkers is still planning to make its packaging 100% recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025, but this scheme will help in the meantime.
Ian Ellington, general manager of PepsiCo UK said: We share peoples concerns about the amount of plastic in our environment and are working on a number of both short and long-term solutions to reduce the impact of our packaging.
Our new Walkers recycling initiative starts to tackle this issue right now by repurposing used crisp packets to create everyday items such as plant pots and benches.
We hope people will embrace this idea and join us in ensuring crisp packets are recycled.
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Were determined to crack this in the long term and have a number of initiatives underway to create the right materials and environment for the crisp packets of the future.”
Laure Cucuron, general manager at TerraCycle Europe added: Were delighted to be working with Walkers to launch the UKs first nationwide recycling scheme for crisp packets.
We hope other snacks manufacturers will follow suit, by investing in new ways to reduce the amount of packaging that goes to landfill and incineration.
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