The parable of Walkers Crisps is worth remembering next time you encounter a mainstream consumer item that is not recyclable, such as butter wrappers, coffee bags and the plastic backing on An Post stamps.
Walkers Crisps became a symbol of unrecyclability in Britain when passionate consumers of the product became so frustrated at not being able to recycle their empty crisp packets that they began posting them in large numbers to Walkers HQ, inundating Royal Mail sorting offices with odious cheese and onion smelling parcels.
Should we perhaps follow suit and fill An Post boxes with the plastic-coated label-backing from its stamp books? Walkers responded admirably to the provocation with a special recycling scheme run by terracycle.com that recycles all brands of crisp bags sent to them. They are heated and extruded into plastic pellets to be used in the manufacture of products such as outdoor furniture and flooring. The scheme will continue until a new form of recyclable packaging that ensures the same level of freshness is developed by 2025.
Costs
In Ireland, there are more than 500 drop-off points that accept all brands of crisp packaging and if an organisation collects enough they’ll be rewarded with TerraCycle points that can be redeemed against waste management costs. The scheme is limited to crisp packet, as opposed to popcorn bags, crisp tubes or pretzel bags.
TerraCycle also operates a recycle programme for Pringles crisp tubes at 117 locations in Ireland, and for Nestlé at 17 locations. Nestlé will accept plastic confectionary packaging from all brands, though it tends to highlight its own products (KitKat, Fruit Pastilles, Aero, Smarties, Milky Bars, etc).
While 17 locations in Ireland is hardly adequate, TerraCycle is keen to encourage the public to set up their own recycling stations by just setting up a collection box in a public place. Once it’s full TerraCycle will collect it and will pay you in the form of TerraCycle points.
Beauty products
It’s a good programme, but poorly promoted. Similar schemes are operated by TerraCycle on behalf of Garnier beauty products, Fairy dishwasher packaging, L’Occitane products and Babybel cheese packaging, to name just a few.
For years I’ve been trying to work out how to recycle BRITA water filters. Its website boasts that you can return them to retailers, but most shops I tried refused to take them. In fact, the best way of recycling them is by sending them via freepost to BRITA at Freepost FAU V92, Bluestone Sales & Distribution, 26 Oaktree Business Park, Trim, Co Meath, C15 HK40. They will be fully recycled and reused.
I’m told that some shops, such as Arnotts and Argos, were accepting used filters, but not during the coronavirus pandemic. For the month of December BRITA will donate €1 to Seal Rescue Ireland for every used filter received, so now is the time to gather them up and ship them off.
Many manufacturers and retailers are promising that by 2025 all packaging will be recyclable or reusable, but it’s up to us to keep the pressure on to ensure this happens.