Move to close
the loop on lunchtime food packages
Businesses in Birmingham are being urged to create a greener workplace by recycling their lunchtime food packaging waste.
A new office recycling and collection initiative run by Closed Loop Recycling, with partners Marks & Spencer and Solo Cup Europe, will enable local companies to recycle the tonnes of sandwich wrappers, soft drinks bottles and salad trays that are thrown in waste bins every day, as well as the usual waste paper and cardboard.
The Closed Loop scheme will initially be available in four major cities – London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester – and their surrounding areas with the aim of taking the scheme nationwide over the next two years.
Closed Loop Recycling managing director Chris Dow said: “Recycling at work is lagging behind recycling in the home.
“Not only is this inefficient and uneconomic for businesses, it is detrimental to the environment as waste that can easily be recycled often ends up in landfill.
“Our office recycling and collection scheme provides a simple solution to that problem.”
Closed Loop Recycling is working with partners M&S and Solo Cup Europe on the lunchtime waste recycling scheme.
M&S sells more sandwiches and lunchtime snacks than anyone else on the high street and the retailer is working hard to reduce its packaging and to make it easier to recycle.
Customers buying their lunch from M&S will see the Closed Loop Office Recycling logo and details on how consumers can sign up to the scheme on all packaging for its new Food to Go range of sandwiches, salads, deli snacks and soft drinks.
Solo Cup Europe, the other partner in the office recycling scheme, manufactures single-use packaging and disposables for the retail and food service industries.
In addition to establishing the Office Recycling Scheme, Closed Loop Recycling will shortly open a plant to recycle waste plastic bottles back into useful food packaging material.
