UK retailer Tesco (Cheshunt; www.tescoplc.com) and Eurokey Recycling (Hinkley, Leicestershire / UK; www.eurokeyrecycling.com), both members of RECycling of Used Plastics (Recoup, Peterborough / UK; www.recoup.org), have cooperated in recycling plastic waste from stores into a useful product for customers.

The collaboration has resulted in Tesco being able to have its own back-of-store plastic waste, such as pallet and multi-pack wrapping, turned into a second life product by Papier-Mettler (Morbach / Germany; www.papier-mettler.com). The product, single-use carrier bags, is made from 100% recycled LDPE – 80% of the material is post-consumer plastic waste with the remaining 20% being made up of recycled plastic waste from the production process onsite. The bags are being rolled out through Tesco stores throughout October.

The waste material is collected by Eurokey, which then sorts the plastics at its facility in eastern Europe to prepare the LDPE for reprocessing. The plastics are then processed and granulated at the Papier-Mettler facility in Morbach. Here, the granulated recycled LDPE is used to produce the Tesco single-use carrier bags as well as a part of the bag for life. The bags carry the blue angel environmental accreditation.

Marcus Gover, director of UK-based Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP, Banbury; www.wrap.org.uk), said: “Tesco’s move to include post-consumer plastic waste in their new carrier bags is a positive and welcome step. Tesco shoppers will now be able to appreciate first-hand the potential for recycled plastic and it will help reinforce a positive recycling message.”