UK-based Recycling Association has reportedly criticised snack brand Pringles and energy drinks company Lucozade among others for using multiple materials in their packaging.
According to Recycling Association chief executive Simon Ellin, using more than one material in a single packaging solution reduces the packaging’s recycling capability, reported The Guardian.
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A typical Pringles pack features a metal base, plastic cap, metal tear-off lid, and foil-lined cardboard sleeve.
Ellin was quoted by media sources as saying: “The Pringles factor – right at the design stage, we’ve got to get that right.
"What we’re putting in our recycling bins has got to be recyclable. We’ve got to get away from the Pringles factor.”
Ellin has also condemned Lucozade sport bottles for ignoring the recyclability of its products.
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By GlobalDataEllin added: “This bottle is so confusing to computer scanners that it has to be picked by hand off the recycling conveyor. Then it often just gets chucked away.”
He also noted that the metal used in whisky packaging made it a problem for reuse.
In response to the criticism, the companies’ spokespersons issued statements saying that their responsibilities to the environment are taken seriously and they are continuously working towards improving it.
Meanwhile, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation along with Prince Charles’s International Sustainability Unit (ISU) has launched a competition for inventors to develop products that can be recycled easily.
