The problem with plastic
Despite efforts to cut waste, there’s still a lot of packaging around our food, writes Rachel Clayton.
In some cases packaging is essential to protect the produce from damage. Mike Sammons, Foodstuffs.
Despite moves to make recycling easier, many Kiwi supermarkets are still struggling to reduce wasteful plastic from fresh produce.
According to the Packaging Council of New Zealand, Kiwis consume about 735 thousand tonnes of packaging every year but only recycle about 58 per cent of it.
This wasn’t due to a lack of access to recycling facilities, as 97 per cent of New Zealanders were able to recycle paper, glass, cans and plastic.
Foodstuffs sustainability manager Mike Sammons, declined an interview, but answered questions about the company’s continued use of fresh produce packaging via a statement.
Sammons said Foodstuffs, which owned Pak ‘n Save and New World supermarkets, had ‘‘moved away from this type of packaging [and] stores have been instructed to avoid needless packaging, as it is not environmentally-friendly and in most cases isn’t required’’.
‘‘In some cases, packaging is essential to protect the produce from damage, as is the case with blueberries, raspberries and cherry tomatoes.’’
But a walk around the fresh produce aisles at New World on Willis St in Wellington, found non-organic zucchinis in plastic trays and banana bunches wrapped in plastic.
‘‘The vast majority of packaging used instore is now recyclable for our customers, either at kerbside or back at store in the soft plastics recycling bins,’’ Sammons said.
Countdown spokesperson James Walker, also answered questions about plastic packaging via a written statement.
‘‘Our organic fruit and vegetable products do currently have additional packaging so that it doesn’t get mixed with nonorganic produce. We are currently exploring other sustainable alternatives,’’ he said.
Walker would not elaborate on what sustainable alternatives were being considered.
At Countdown in Newtown, Wellington, non-organic apples came loose, in plastic bags, in plastic boxes that were wrapped in plastic, and in plastic tubes.
Non-organic zucchinis in pairs came on a plastic plate, wrapped in plastic.
Organic limes and feijoas came in compostable cardboard boxes that were wrapped in plastic. Lemons were loose and also came in netted bags, grapes came in plastic boxes, capsicums and red onions were loose and also came in plastic packs.
Envirofert waste disposal manager Paul Yearbury, said he was often asked about compostable materials and supermarket packaging.
‘‘There is a big difference between bio-degradable and compostable packaging,’’ he said.
Compostable material required specific conditions to breakdown - a compostable container could not be thrown into the back yard and breakdown properly.
Our Seas Our Future trustee Will Tait-Jamieson said: ‘‘...the use of plastic wrap in some supermarkets is excessive, such as packaging portions of fruit’’.
Although plastic wrap was an area of waste Tait-Jamieson wanted to tackle in the future, his organisation was primarily focused on plastic bag use.
‘‘Plastic bags are a common item and are most salient to people when they think about plastic waste and their effect on our oceans and beaches,’’ he said.
‘‘Our Seas Our Future would like to see all supermarkets put a charge on plastic bags.
‘‘Especially when international literature suggests that a charge need only be minimal to encourage significant behaviour change.’’