New RECYCLED pot

r-PET webWhat have we changed?
Our 'big pot' and 'snack pot' packs are made from a 2 layer combination of an outer recyclable card sleeve and a thin inner plastic pot. This plastic inner pot was previously made of polystyrene (PS) and the over-cap made of PP but are both now made of a plastic called PET (which is short for polyethylene terephthalate). This is the same type of plastic as most water bottles and is one of the best plastics for recycling.

Even better – we use at least 60% recycled PET known as ‘rPET’.

Why?
Using recycled plastic saves energy and so reduces the carbon footprint of our pot. It also reduces consumption of the finite resources i.e. oil, from which new plastic is made. Better still we are using materials that might otherwise end up in landfill.

How can I best recycle this pot?
Simply remove the card sleeve and place in your local card and paper recycling.

The inner pot and the over-cap are made of rPET and are fully recyclable. PET is a plastic which is very successfully recycled.

However, please check your local recycling facilities, as your local authority may at present only accept plastic bottles into their PET recycling - and not yet pots or over caps (see below).

Please rinse out this pot before recycling (where facilities are available).

Unfortunately, the peel-off printed film lid is not currently recyclable as there is no viable plastic film available that can be readily recycled – but we will work towards improving this as soon as we can!

Why might my local authority not accept the plastic pot and over-cap for recycling?
Local councils have prioritised the recycling of plastic bottles because they are easy to clean, the plastics used (largely PET and HDPE) are of higher value, and therefore plenty of recycling plants in the UK will re-process them. In contrast pots, trays and caps come in a wide variety of types of plastics and colours, are more likely to contain food residues, and, until recently, there was little opportunity to recycle them here. However the good news is that situation is improving and we now have 2, soon to be 3, major mixed plastics recycling facilities open in the UK. These plants are highly automated and efficient and are able to recycle mixed plastics - of different polymer types and different packaging formats – including plastic pots and over caps such as ours.

By moving to PET, and especially clear PET, we are helping the advance of plastic recycling and increasing the likelihood of more councils collecting pots as unlike PS, it can be recycled back into high value food packaging time and time again.

We have tried to make this pot as recyclable as possible. The rest depends on your local authority. We hope that more of them will provide facilities to allow you to recycle all of our pots in the future.

Where can I find more information?
Try the list of websites below for details of your local recycling facilities or to find out more about recycling. Or contact your Local Authority.
For England - www.recyclenow.com
For Scotland - www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk
For Wales - www.wasteawarenesswales.org.uk
For Northern Ireland - www.wakeuptowaste.org
For The Republic Ireland - www.repak.ie/bring_banks or www.thorn.ie/recycling.htm.

Packaging Component Summary

  • Inner pot - recycled PET - fully recyclable but check your local recycling facilities
  • Outer card sleeve - widely recycled - produced from sustainably managed forests - click here for more information
  • Plastic film lid - also produced from PET - but unfortunately because it is a film limited recycling facilities currently exist
  • Plastic over-cap - recycled PET - fully recyclable but check your local recycling facilities

350g size range
Unfortunately we are currently unable to source recycled PET inner pots for this size. However we working on it - and trying to find a solution!