Co-op has committed to a new recycling drive by removing all coloured milk bottle caps from its shelves and replacing them with clear tops.
The convenience retailer confirmed today that shoppers are soon to see clear caps on all Co-op skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk across its UK stores.
Clear bottle tops reduce colour contamination in the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) stream, allowing materials to be recycled more easily into food packaging.
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The move follows successful consumer trials on semi-skimmed milk in more than 400 Co-op stores in August and with ‘clear’ recyclability gains to be made, green caps will now be switched to clear ones in all stores by the end of the year.
Co-op will then eradicate red (skimmed milk caps) and blue (whole milk caps) in early 2023. Once all caps have been switched it is expected to remove more than 150 tonnes of coloured plastic from HDPE streams per annum.
“There are changes in store for how shoppers see milk bottle tops, with the new caps able more easily recycled and retained in the food sector unlike their coloured counterparts,” Co-op’s milk buyer, Adam Williams said.
He added: “There is limited availability of food grade recycled plastic, and that is a challenge. It is important that packaging is viewed as a valuable resource.
“We continue to work to explore new ways to make it easier to recycle and re-use these materials, and small changes to everyday issues can collectively add up to make a big difference.”
WRAP, a founding member of The UK Plastics Pact, supports the complete removal of pigments from HDPE milk bottle caps by Co-op.
“This development has helped the HDPE milk bottle increase its reputation as a shining light of the circular economy and will enable the caps to be recycled with the bottle and go back into food grade applications,” WRAP sector specialist in resource management, Adam Herriot said.
“It is, however, still vitally important that citizens follow the Recycle Now and OPRL advice of ensuring that they recycle their bottle with the ‘cap on’ to make sure that they are captured and recycled effectively.
“We must all continue, as an industry, to go further and ensure we bring in more changes that benefit shoppers and the environment.”
The news comes as the Co-op CEO warns that the food industry needs to “unite and play a part” in addressing water scarcity among the poorest nations.
