Post us your crisp packets, say Walkers after recycling protest

Walkers Crisps has bowed to pressure by telling customers to post empty packets in envelopes as part of a new recycling scheme.

From December, consumers will be able to post used crisp bags free in envelopes to a recycling company.

Walkers announced the scheme days after Royal Mail begged campaigners to stop posting the packets back to Walkers to protest about them not being recyclable.

Geraint Ashcroft, a campaigner, described the move as “a great first step”.

The company said it had been in talks about the scheme since the beginning of the year. Once the packets have been collected they will be cleaned, shredded and turned into pellets which can be converted into useful plastic items.

Ian Ellington, general manager of Pepsico UK, which owns Walkers, said: “We share people’s concerns about the amount of plastic in our environment and are working on a number of both short and long-term solutions to reduce the impact of our packaging.

“Our new initiative starts to tackle this issue right now by repurposing used crisp packets to create everyday items such as plant pots and benches. We hope people will embrace this idea and join us in ensuring crisp packets are recycled.”