Countdown delis cut ‘virgin plastic’
Countdown will start using recycled plastic in its bakeries and delis, eliminating more than 177 tonnes of ‘‘virgin plastic’’ from New Zealand.
From August, the supermarket will use recycled PET (rPET) packaging, made by Lower Hutt firm Flight Plastics, for dozens of its baked goods, cold meats, and salads.
rPET, which stands for recycled polyethylene terephtalate, is plastic that has already been used for packaging, such as plastic bottles.
Flight Plastics buys bales of plastic from recyclers around the country, before sorting it, sterilising it, and repurposing it.
Countdown spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said Flight Plastics’ process was a ‘‘perfect example’’ of a circular economy approach.
‘‘Flight Plastics source their plastic from the New Zealand waste stream, [so] this means we not only avoid new plastic coming into New Zealand but we can help take pressure off the waste stream and avoid plastic ending up in the landfill.
‘‘rPET can be used again and again and this is much more desirable than it being recovered once.’’
Hannifin believed this was the best option at the moment; however, she acknowledged there could be different solutions ‘‘going forward’’.
‘‘Countdown’s starting point is to – wherever we can – reduce unnecessary packaging, particularly single-use packaging.
‘‘However, where we do need it, for example, to meet food safety standards, we need to be a lot more purposeful and thoughtful in what we use.’’
New Zealand’s waste management infrastructure was under pressure, with recycling being stockpiled and limited onshore solutions, Hannifin said.
The supermarket chain was looking for ‘‘any and all’’ opportunities to protect New Zealand’s environment, she said.
‘‘Using more recycled plastic products and introducing less virgin plastic into circulation is just one way we can do this.’’
Flight Plastics chief executive Keith Smith said the rPET packaging could be recycled ‘‘again and again as customers return them via their recycle bin’’.
Countdown was the first major New Zealand company to announce it was phasing out single-use plastic bags, and it was quickly followed by other supermarkets and retailers.
The company hopes to have 100 per cent reusable, recyclable and compostable packaging in all its stores by 2025.