Hovis partners up with TerraCycle to unveil bread bag recycling scheme.

Bread is a product that is consumed by many families on a daily basis so there is significant scope to alter consumer behaviour and to encourage people to recycle used bread bags.

UK bread company Hovis has launched a bread bag recycling initiative in partnership with recycling firm TerraCycle. According to TerraCycle, all Hovis bread bags are 100% recyclable and can be dropped off at selected retail stores to be collected for recycling.

Recently, the bread company started rolling out clearer recycling labels on packs to encourage more people to dispose of their bread bags correctly.

However, research commissioned by Hovis (@hovisbakery) found that 31% of people continue to find recycling challenging and are unsure of what is recyclable. Figures from plastic packaging charity Recoup highlighted the fact that only one-in-ten local authorities currently recycle bread bags, meaning that despite people wanting to recycle, it is difficult to do so.

The teaming up with TerraCycle(@TerraCycle) aims to address this issue and make it easier for people to recycled used bread bags from home or in the community.

This scheme, called the Bread Bag Recycling Programme, aims to develop a UK-wide network of public access bread bag recycling points.

Community groups and individual consumers are encouraged to set up locations for their communities where the public can drop off used bread bags, which can be sent, free of charge, to TerraCycle for recycling.

They can register as a private collector, enabling them to collect used bread bags at home and then access free postage labels to post them to TerraCycle
They can locate community collection points using a map on the TerraCycle website and take it to the location to be collected and recycled.

Community collection points can be created by groups such as schools, charities and community groups, and whoever decides to run the collection point decides the school, charity of non-profit organisation which benefits from the reward points raised by recycling.

Any LDPE plastic bread bag from Hovis and other brands, can be sent for recycling where the packaging will be shredded and converted into plastic pellets or flakes, before being used to make new items such as benches and outdoor furniture.

Were delighted to launch this initiative with TerraCycle to improve the ease of recycling used bread bags and, as a result, cut the amount of plastic entering the waste stream, Hovis chief executive Nish Kankiwala said.

He added: While all Hovis bread bags are 100% recyclable the new Bread Bag Recycling Programme will make it much easier for consumers to recycle their used bread bags by dropping them off to easily accessible public access recycling points or sending them in for free from home. Given the increasing public concern and debate about the level of un-processed plastic waste, we hope this will help as part of the wider efforts to boost recycling of plastics.

TerraCycle Europe general manager Laure Cucuron said: It is great to partner with Hovis and to work with this well-loved British brand to drive greater plastic recycling.

Bread is a product that is consumed by many families on a daily basis so there is significant scope to alter consumer behaviour and to encourage people to recycle used bread bags. Hovis is helping to lead the agenda for the bread industry and we hope to see more brands and industries making moves in the same direction.

TerraCycle has been engaging with many brands recently to form recycling partnerships with them. Last December, it announced that it would be linking up with Walkers to launch a crisp packet recycling scheme to deal with crisp packet waste.

Speaking in December, Ian Ellington, PepsiCo UKs general manager, said: This is the first crisp packet recycling scheme in the UK and it will only work if everyone gets collecting and sending in, which is why weve made the scheme as simple as possible and free.

The recent move by TerraCycle comes in the same week as the UK government launched a range of new consultations setting out plans that are designed to cut packaging waste levels and boost UK recycling rates. This included a

he move comes in the same week as the government launched a raft of new consultations setting out plans that are designed to slash packaging waste levels and boost UK recycling rates.

The wide-ranging new package of proposals includes plans for a new tax on plastic packaging, higher levies on producers of packaging to help pay for recycling infrastructure, and a more standardised approach to local authority recycling services. Under these plans, the UK will launch a plastic packaging tax for plastic packaging that doesnt include at least 30% recycled content from 2022.

Michael Waas, Global Vice President, Brand Partnerships, at TerraCycle, will be speaking at this year’sWorld Bio Markets Conference, the leading assembly for the bio-based economy, which takes place from 1-3 April in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

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