How & Where to Recycle Crisp Packets?
Are you looking for ways to be more eco-friendly and reduce waste, but struggling with how to recycle those crisp packets cluttering up your kitchen? You’re not alone!
Crisp packets are notorious for being difficult to recycle due to their composite material made up of paper, foil and plastic. For a long time, Crisps packages have ended up in landfills, polluting our environment for decades.
However, things are finally starting to change. Although recycling options for crisp packets are still somewhat limited, there are now several practical ways you can recycle your empty chip bags and put them to better use than just throwing them in the trash. Remember “Every crisp packet recycled is one less piece of waste ending up in a landfill or polluting our planet”.
The good news is that recycling crisp packets has never been easier. All it takes is few simple actions on your part – collecting your used crisp packets, preparing them correctly, and then utilising various recycling schemes now available.
With a little effort, you’ll be surprised at just how many crisp packets you can divert from landfills and put towards a more sustainable future.
By recycling your crisp packets, you’ll also be helping to send a message to manufacturers – that consumers demand fully recyclable packaging made from sustainable materials. Every packet recycled is one step closer towards a zero-waste future.
Where to Recycle Your Empty Crisp Packets?
There are actually several options for recycling your empty crisp packets and chip bags so you don’t have to throw them in the trash.
Many major supermarkets and grocery stores now have dedicated crisps and soft packet recycling bins in their stores. Check with your local Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi.
Simply take your washed, flattened crisp packets to the designated bin next time you’re shopping. You’ll be helping reduce waste and doing your part for the environment!
How TerraCycle’s Crisp Packets Recycling Works?
Recycling initiative by TerraCycle – has a crisp packet recycling scheme. TerraCycle works with major companies like Walkers, Doritos and Hula Hoops so they can accept almost any brand of crisp packet.
It’s simple just bring your crisp packets to a participating recycling drop-off point near you. Find your nearest public drop-off location on the map and drop off your nuts, popcorn, crisps and pretzels packets during the opening hours. It’s free, and you don’t even need a TerraCycle account or shipping label.
With these options, there’s no need for your crisp packets to end up in a landfill. Recycling them helps reduce litter and plastic waste, so put one of these sustainable solutions into play with your next bag of crisps!
The issue of non-recyclable crisp packets:
Even though some options now exist to recycle crisp packets, the sad truth is that most crisp packets are still virtually non-recyclable. This is due to the composite material used to make them – a layer of paper on the outside, an aluminium foil layer in the middle and an inner plastic lining.
When crisp packets enter typical recycling streams, its different materials cannot be separated efficiently. This means they often end up contaminating other recyclable materials and ultimately get rejected from the recycling process. Many crisp packets still end up in landfill sites where they take centuries to decompose.
The burden lies on crisp packet manufacturers and brands to design their packets using fully recyclable materials. So far, most major crisp manufacturers have been slow to make the transition to 100% recyclable packaging. Some have trialed fully paper-based packets but these have not been adopted widely.
In the meantime, the best thing we can do as consumers is to urge crisp manufacturers to improve the recyclability of their packets. Writing to them to request fully recyclable packaging is an impactful first step.
But until crisp packet manufacturers step up and make the necessary changes to their designs and materials, recycling options for crisp packets will remain very limited. The onus is on them to produce packets that can be easily and efficiently recycled within standard recycling streams.