Reconomy launches sustainable food and drink packaging service

The Reconomy Group, a Telford, United Kingdom-based resource management company, has launched a sustainable food and drink container service for businesses throughout the U.K.

The company says in the U.K. alone, 10.7 billion single-use food and drink takeout containers are discarded annually after one use, and its aim is to help businesses switch to a reuse solution that is practical, commercially viable and environmentally friendly.

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The collection includes a diverse range of reusable containers suitable for various applications, Reconomy says, and will be reusable over 1,000 times, helping to cut carbon emissions by up to 96 percent, create zero litter, landfill and incineration, reduce transportation and storage and be recycled easily at the end of its lifecycle.

In addition to increasing circularity, Reconomy says the packaging collection also will deliver cost savings it estimates to be at approximately 70 percent to 85 percent over a three-year period compared to using single-use disposables.

Along with its new service offering, Reconomy says it is launching its own single-use plastic policy to minimize the use of single-use plastics across its own operations and services and by all colleagues. Per the policy, Reconomy will work with its customers and suppliers to find solutions for reducing unnecessary waste plastics.

“This is a completely new service offering for Reconomy and one that will help our customers divert from single-use, as well as demonstrating our own commitment to eradicating single-use plastics,” Reconomy Head of Sustainability Nathan Gray says. “Our aim at Reconomy has always been to lead the way in the reuse revolution, bringing our customers on board to deliver significant carbon efficiency increases across a variety of the many sectors we work with. We are excited that this initiative will help more businesses drive forward a positive environmental impact as well as achieving commercial benefits.”

Ahead of an incoming ban on single-use plastics in the U.K. taking effect Oct. 1, Reconomy has issued a white paper, “Designing out disposables—understanding the single-use hierarchy,” with the goal to educate businesses on the latest packaging legislation along with a breakdown of materials and support on choosing the most sustainable materials.

Per the single-use plastic legislation, businesses will no longer be allowed to supply single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls to members of the public as well as ready-to-consume food and drink in polystyrene containers, single-use cutlery and balloon sticks.

Reconomy says its report concludes that the U.K.’s waste management infrastructure is not yet ready to deliver adequate nationwide solutions for compostable product collections, recycling of all types of plastics or recycling of items made up of a mix of materials such as tetra pak and crisp packets.

In its report, Reconomy calls for more reuse models to ensure recyclability of “must-have” plastics. It also calls for greater collaboration across the waste supply chain to support customers and to look at alternative packaging which is fully recyclable and managed in the current infrastructure.

“This is a pivotal moment for the circular economy as the U.K. implements a widespread ban on single-use plastics,” Gray says. “It is a signal that business models must change to exploit making products that last longer, are repairable, could be leased and are designed for circularity. If we link circular strategies to new business practices, together we can unlock greater value and reduce climate impacts.

“Strong policy action, however, must be met with similarly robust investment in the U.K.’s waste management infrastructure to deliver the services businesses need to improve their recycling processes,” he continues. “The greater uptake of reuse models and sector-wide collaboration in tandem with the clampdown on single-use plastic will undoubtedly drive improvements.”