FDBusiness.com

Aldi Ireland announced today that its own-label Irish sourced potted herbs are now packaged in recyclable and home compostable materials.

The discount retailer has been working with its Wicklow-based supplier O’Hanlon Herbs for the past six months to introduce the new recyclable packaging.

The change, which came into effect this month, will lead to the removal of more than 5.5 tonnes of non-recyclable material annually from Aldi’s potted herbs range, including Aldi’s parsley, coriander and basil.

“Moving our herb pots to recyclable material and making the sleeves home compostable is our latest step towards making all of our packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable,” said John Curtin, group buying director, Aldi.

“This change means that customers can recycle the pots and can even feed their compost heap with the sleeves and soil so nothing goes to waste.”

The pot that holds the plant will now be made from polypropylene – a 100% recyclable material that is used across many different types of packaging and consumer goods – while the sleeve around the pot will be made from sugarcane derivatives and other home compostable materials.

Aldi is aiming to make packaging across its products to be 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

It also plans to make 100% of its own-label packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022, while reducing 50% in packaging across its own-label products by 2025.