by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Not so long ago Sainsbury's, one of Britain's leading supermarket chains, announced that, in order to reduce waste, etc., they were going to have their own ranges of Chopped Tomatoes come in cartons instead of tin cans.
Already at that time I was skeptical as to whether or not that was going to be better for the Planet. My concern was as to whether the carton material might not be a laminate of some kind and make it difficult or even impossible to recycle.
Unfortunately, my fears have proven to be correct and come true. While the carton may be similar too Tetra Pak being cardboard outside but lined inside with a “silver” foil, laminated to the cardboard, as far as I can ascertain, thus making it nigh impossible to recycle.
So, instead of reducing waste and keeping things out of the waste stream and landfill the opposite is going to be the case.
This must be seen as a very serious and sad own goal by Sainsbury's and a step back rather than forward.
At least tin cans can be recycled and go back to be turned into new steel and thus be recycled again and again nigh on indefinitely. The material from which the cartons are made does not appear to offer that possibility, as far as I can see.
Sainsbury's Plc., generally a leader as to sustainability in the grocery sector, really does not appear to have done their homework here too well.
TerraCycle probably would find a way though of upcycling those cartons and a little word with the representatives in the United Kingdom might be a good idea.
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