Produce Packaging Reduction Trial : Tesco Ireland Unveils Home-Recyclable Potato Packaging

Tesco has become the first retailer in Ireland to make its packaging for 1kg new season potatoes fully recyclable while also reducing the amount of paper used in its 2.5kg potato packaging.This step change on packaging will commence on a 12-week trial basis in 100 stores, with plans to roll out the changes to more products if successful. As one of Ireland’s favourite grocery items this change will have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste.

The new paper bags will carry the green ‘widely recycled’ logo and can be recycled at home using the kerbside collection infrastructure. The new single ply paper bag is responsibly sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited material and replaces the existing plastic 1kg bags. Plastic components of the 2.5kg potato paper bag, which contained a non-recyclable net window, will be removed and will be fully recyclable.

The packaging change will initially cover Tesco’s range of ‘New Season Early Potatoes’. The move will also reduce the amount of paper used in Tesco’s 2.5kg new season potatoes bag by 30% and remove almost 50,000 non-recyclable 1kg new season plastic bags from the waste system annually. Over the course of the trial, over 130,000 packs of Irish grown new season early Premier and Queens potatoes are expected to be sold across Ireland in the new packaging.

Joe Manning, Commercial Director, Tesco Ireland, said he was pleased that Tesco is again leading the way in removing excess and non-recyclable material from its business as part of its ongoing 4Rs (Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) strategy, which includes plans to make all packaging fully recyclable by 2025.