RESIDENTS wishing to recycle soft plastics at a local supermarket have discovered the bin is no longer there.
The receptacle, located outside Waitrose’s Twyford branch, was recently removed, and there has been much online discussion about the reason for its disappearance.
Members of the public have questioned whether this might be due to people putting standard rubbish inside, despite the recycling facility being very clearly labelled.
In online conversations one person said that they had learnt from a member of staff that the recycling firm responsible for processing the plastic was not sorting the material, and was instead sending everything to landfill.
People are disappointed, not only by the loss of the bin, but also by the idea that carefully collected recycling products could be discarded instead of processed.
To cope with the problem of where to recycle soft plastics, residents have been sharing locations of nearby recycling bins.
Marks and Spencers store at Shepherds Hill has been suggested as the nearest alternative, along with local Sainsbury’s and Tesco supermarkets.
One resident even suggested people should put pressure on Waitrose to find a viable alternative to the recycling company, by continuing to bring their plastic waste to the store.
However, it seems that the lapse in the recycling facility may be only temporary.
A Waitrose spokesperson said: “Like our customers, we’re keen to find sustainable solutions for packaging and make recycling as easy as possible.
“This bin has only been removed temporarily and will be brought back soon.”
Waitrose came top of the Greenpeace plastic footprint league of UK supermarkets for the second time in a row last year.
It removes packaging in its supply chain where possible and is introducing alternative materials to make recycling easier.
For example it now has clear caps on its milk bottles which, unlike coloured ones, can be recycled into food grade packaging.
It pledges that all its own-brand packaging will be re-usable or made from widely recyclable or home-compostable material by 2023.
Residents seeking alternative recycling facilities can log on to: www.recyclenow.com
