Cut packaging? Tesco banned me using Tupperware to do shopping!
INSPIRED by harrowing TV footage of sea creatures dying due to the huge amount of plastic in the oceans, retired banker Graeme Corry decided to do his bit.
He began taking his own reusable containers when shopping in a bid to cut down on waste and pollution.
But the 63-year-old of Newbridge, near Edinburgh, has been left furious after bosses at his local Tesco banned him from using the tubs over hygiene concerns.
Mr Corry said he was inspired to act after watching the BBC’s Blue Planet II with David Attenborough. It featured scenes of animals dying due to discarded plastic in the oceans.
He told the BBC: ‘Rather than relying on other people to deal with my plastic waste, I thought taking my own container when I was buying fresh meat or cheese would be a good
‘This decision is inexplicable’
way to go about that. Usually at the deli they will wrap it in plastic, then put it in a plastic bag, which ends up in the bin and who knows after that, choking some whale in the ocean.’
So Mr Corry began taking his own containers to Tesco in Corstorphine, Edinburgh. But the supermarket has now blocked the move.
Mr Corry said: ‘It had been going well for two or three weeks until I was told to stop. Staff said there had been instructions from Tesco HQ that customers were not to be served produce in their own containers.
‘I don’t know if it’s for health and safety reasons that Tesco won’t allow people to bring their own packaging. Do they think I’m not capable of deciding whether the containers I’m bringing are suitable?
‘Not only that, surely my actions are also saving the company money.’
Mr Corry says he will be boycotting the store if Tesco does not change its stance, adding: ‘I’ll vote with my feet and I’ll shop elsewhere.’
As part of its Little Helps plan, by 2025 Tesco has promised to make all packaging fully recyclable or compostable and ensure all paper and board used is 100 per cent sustainable.
Lothian Green MSP Alison Johnstone said: ‘Tesco made a lot of noise about reducing plastic waste, so this decision is inexplicable.
‘Reversing this baffling ruling would be a start, but if Tesco were serious about reducing pollution they’d go further and offer discounts for people who bring their own tubs.’
A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We need to balance our responsibility to sell food in a safe and hygienic way with the feedback we receive from our customers.
‘We are actively looking to provide customers with an alternative, helpful way of taking food home from our counters.’