Lidl has confirmed plans to remove black plastic packaging from its entire fruit and vegetable range. This is to happen before Christmas of this year. The packaging, which cannot be recycled, will be scrapped from fresh fish products by February 2019, followed by fresh meat, poultry and cured meat ranges before August, the German retailer said in a statement.
Black plastic packaging is not recycled in Ireland or the UK because recycling sorting systems cannot detect the carbon black pigment. As a result of this move by Lidl, over 65 tonnes of black plastic waste will be avoided annually from fruit and vegetables alone.
Checkout.ie quoted Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland Managing Director, J.P. Scally as saying: “These are significant steps. Sustainability is core to our business and we are proud to continue leading the retail sector in implementing ambitious measures which will deliver real and lasting benefits for everyone.”