New soft plastic recycling

Paving the way for a greener future, we’re introducing a new in-store soft plastic recycling scheme.

No matter the brand or retailer, we’ll be collecting all types of clean, ‘scrunchy’ plastic film.

Examples of ‘scrunchy’ plastics includes chocolate wrappers, lids from ready meals, bread bags, or cereal box liners.

We'll be promoting the slogan ‘Clean it. Scrunch it. Co-op it.’, to help shoppers remember the easy three-step process.

All items must be cleaned beforehand, and if they bounce back when scrunched into a ball this is a good sign it’s soft plastic.

Once your item is clean and you’re sure it meets the soft plastic criteria, simply dispose of it at your local food store.

The recycling units will be available at 70 different stores across our trading area and will give a greener alternative for items that may have previously gone to landfill.

Estimates from WRAP suggest that 760,000 tonnes of plastic film end up in UK waste streams every year, with half originating from households.

While local councils offer recycling for hard plastics such as yogurt pots or milk bottles, soft plastics are not collected, so this scheme gives an accessible option for shoppers wanting to play their part.

The soft plastics collected will be recycled in the UK. They will be turned into plastic granules and used to make things such as bin liners, rigid products such as buckets, and materials for the construction industry.

The scheme is led by our buying group, and you can find more here.

The majority of our food stores (87) have these units available. Six stores are unable to offer the service at the moment, due to their size and layout, and you can find these listed below.