Sainsbury's is subsidizing recycling at Cornish stores

By Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Sainbury's is looking to make it easier for shoppers to recycle its plastic bags and therefore Sainsbury's is set to invest in recycling banks at its stores across Cornwall in a move that will save taxpayers some £200,000 a year.

We have seen recycling banks for those store carrier bags in other Sainsbury's stores ate other locations but they seem, at time to be there, and then they aren't. So it would be good to see this venture to run with Sainsbury's throughout the country, and not just Cornwall.

Sainsbury's took the decision to provide the service itself after consulting with customers. It means that all major supermarkets in the county are now providing recycling at their stores without subsidy from Cornwall Council.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for waste management, Julian German, said to this that he was very pleased to see all of the major supermarkets supporting this scheme and working with with the council to continue to raise recycling rates in Cornwall.

“This is a great example of Cornwall Council working together with the private sector to provide widespread recycling facilities at the same time as saving money for taxpayers in Cornwall,” Mr German said.

DS Smith Recycling and Cornwall Cullet will be providing the recycling facilities.

I must say that I have just one worry with regards to carrier bag recycling and that is the fact that, according to industry experts I have spoken with, recycling of those bags is not a cost effective thing to do and that it also produced a very poor grade polymer.

But, even if they are just collected and disposed off in a proper manner already takes them out of the environment. On the other hand, it would be far better if we simply would drop the plastic shopping bag, the one-time-use bag, altogether everywhere.

© 2011