The retailer builds on its successful June trial of the fibre based alternative to black plastic ready meal tray. The packaging innovation shows the supermarket’s commitment to remove own-label black plastic packaging by end of 2019.
From this week, Waitrose & Partners is trialling three of its Italian ready meals in a widely recyclable tray for two months.
This trial is larger than the retailer’s initial one in June as it is in the majority of its shops and more ready meals is in the alternative to black plastic tray.
The supermarket’s investment in a material to replace the black plastic tray, which the ready meals are usually in, has seen it create a fibre based tray which feels like cardboard. The cream coloured container is Forest Stewardship Council certified and is labelled as widely recycled. It says on the packaging to rinse the tray and put it in with paper recycling. Waitrose & Partners’ Macaroni Cheese, Spaghetti Bolognese and Tuna Pasta Bake meals are in the packaging.
Currently, much of the black plastic packaging used by supermarkets for food such as ready meals and puddings is not recycled as lasers used by waste processors cannot recognise the colour effectively. This means it is not identified for recycling.
This is the next step in the retailer’s commitment to not sell any own label product in black plastic packaging beyond 2019.
Waitrose & Partners has worked with its packaging supplier, Huhtamaki, to use the latest technology to make sure the trays can be heated in the oven and microwave.
All the retailer’s own label packaging will be widely recycled, reusable or home compostable by 2025.
Karen Graley, packaging manager at Waitrose, says:
“Black plastic continues to be a challenge to recycle. This is why we see innovating in alternative materials as so important. If our trial is a success we’ll be looking to roll it out further and this could potentially save millions of plastic trays going to landfill every year.
“Customer feedback from the June trial has been really positive with shoppers asking where the fibre based trays went after the trial ended.
“Ready meals have historically used a great deal of black plastic - but hopefully this will be the beginning of the end for this hard to recycle form of packaging.’’
