The greener crisp... Walkers is switching to recycled plastic bags
THE makers of Walkers crisps are to switch to using recycled plastic from carrier bags and biscuit wrappers for packets.
The breakthrough, which will be extended to other brands such as Doritos, Wotsits and Quavers, will remove virgin plastic from billions of packs.
It is estimated that more than 3.6billion packs of Walkers are manufactured in the UK every year. Currently, the packs include a mix of materials including a thin metal film which makes recycling difficult.
The move by PepsiCo will be phased in by 2030 amid mounting pressure on big business to cut the pollution and waste caused by plastic packaging.
A spokesman said: ‘Walkers will lead the charge by trialling new packaging with recycled content from crisp packets, biscuit wrappings and other plastics on a new range to be launched this year.’
Crisp packs are one of the main sources of persistent litter, with reports of packs dating back decades being picked up on roadsides and beaches. In 2018, a schoolboy found a 30-year-old packet of Walkers Cheese & Onion crisps on a Cornwall beach.
Previously, packs of Walkers crisps featuring a ‘Royal Mint Scoop’ promotion run by the company in 1993 and 1994 were found in a litter hot spot in the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire.
Walkers brand ambassador Gary Lineker has come under fire for supporting a product which causes environmental damage. He has expressed sympathy for the concerns on Twitter and is expected to promote the change.
But despite the switch to recyclable plastic, it will still not be possible to put the packs in the household recycling waste currently collected by local councils. However, the company is calling on the Government to make it mandatory for local councils to collect them from homes as part of the standard recycling system.
Walkers has previously been targeted by campaigners for failing to use packs that can be easily recycled with over 300,000 people signing a petition calling for change.
Campaign group 38 Degrees welcomed the change but accused the firm of moving too slowly. Campaigns director Robin Priestley said: ‘This should be celebrated. But at a rate of 11million packets a day, by 2030 Walkers could end up producing billions of packets from non-recycled plastic. That’s not something to be excited about.’
‘We will lead the charge’