Popular chocolate packaging makes up nearly of half weight

SORTING THE Christmas chocolates to find the soft centres may be a seasonal ritual, but it’s not only the fillings no one likes that will end up in the bin this year.

A survey out today found that the packaging of some popular brands makes up almost half their total weight.

The worst offender was the Ferrero Rocher Collection tray, of which 42 per cent was non-edible and only 11 per cent recyclable, according to the consumer group, Which?

The packaging of Thorntons Continental Selection made up 29.4 per cent of its weight, followed at 22.6 per cent by Cadbury’s Milk Tray. But both brands used packaging significantly more recyclable than that of Ferrero Rocher.

Meanwhile, Lindt Lindor Mix contained only 11.5 per cent packaging, with only the individual chocolate wrappers not recyclable. Marks & Spencer’s The Big One Selection had the least packaging.

Which? also found confusion among consumers about symbols on the boxes, with nearly half mistakenly thinking that a green dot meant they could be recycled. Nikki Stopford, at Which?, said we were now are “more aware than ever of the impact that we’re having on the world around us”, and that the company wanted its research to influence eco-friendly packaging disposal.

Ferrero said its product was “delicately created” and that some consumers liked to reuse the boxes “in fun and creative ways”. Thorntons said its packaging avoided “cross flavour tainting from the most intense tastes such as Espresso or Sicilian Mousse”.