A home delivery meal business has recycled more than 15m of its plastic food trays in just two years through its world-first, closed-loop system.
Wiltshire Farm Foods, part of Trowbridge-based apetito, the UK’s leading food producer for the health and social care sector, introduced the scheme in 2021.
Under the ‘boomerang’ initiative, thought to be the world’s first industrial scale project of its kind, Wiltshire Farm Foods’ customers hand back trays to its drivers, pictured, with 100% of them guaranteed to be recycled and turned into new trays.
The scheme has been so successful that it has been extended into the healthcare sector, where apetito works with the NHS and hospital caterers across the UK.
The trays are collected directly from customers and washed, pictured, before being taken to a specialist plant in Durham where they are recycled into new trays and returned to the company for use.
Wiltshire Farm Foods retail sales and operations manager Thomas Prangley said he was proud of the positive environmental efforts the company was making and the high engagement from customers.
“Our customers thoroughly enjoy taking part in this process, with many of them comparing it to when the milkman used to collect their empty milk bottles,” he said.
“We know that they feel reassured in the knowledge that they are doing the right thing for the environment to support future generations.
“We’re proud to be playing our part in this pioneering initiative and hope to keep encouraging even more of our customers to take part.”
The project is in marked contrast to most recycling schemes which, according to the latest RECOUP Household Plastic Packaging Collection Survey, result in around 47% of the plastic placed into household recycling being sent abroad for processing with uncertain results.
The scheme scooped the prestigious national RECOUP Award for the Best Development/Innovation to Enhance Plastic Products for Recyclability or Re-use.
Wiltshire Farm Foods has been operating for more than 30 years and today distributes its ready-made meals through 78 delivery teams across the UK.
