Pick n Pay will do away with plastic barrier bags that separate products like fresh produce and cleaning items at till points.

Pick n Pay will no longer use plastic barrier bags to separate certain products when packing groceries for customers at till points.

The initiative would help prevent 20 million single-use plastic bags, which are difficult to recycle, from ending up in the environment, the retailer claims.

“These small clear plastic barrier bags are not currently recycled effectively, and by removing these at till points, we can play a part in reducing reliance on unnecessary single-use plastic,” said Vaughan Pierce, executive for ESG (environmental, social and governance) at Pick n Pay.

Although the barrier bags will be removed from till points, they will still be available at fruit and vegetable sections at stores. But Pick n Pay is encouraging its customers to use reusable netted bags instead.

Barrier bags are used to separate certain products like fresh produce, cleaning items and toiletries.

Pick n Pay has a strategy to reduce plastic waste by 2025. Its targets include ensuring all or 100% of its packaging is reusable or recyclable. In the past two years, this target has increased from 67% to 80%, the retailer noted in a statement.

Other targets are for 100% of all cardboard and paper used in Pick n Pay packaging to be sourced from “responsibly managed” forests. It also aims to increase the sale of its reusable bags by 30%.

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“Over the past five years, more than 10 000 tons of plastic have been removed from the environment to make Pick n Pay’s 100% recyclable blue plastic bags. Over 11 million plastic bottles have been recycled to manufacture its reusable shopping bags since 2018,” the retailer said in a  statement.

Pick n Pay also aims to increase the use of recycled materials in clothing products and store refurbishments. According to Pick n Pay, 1.5 million clothing items sold in 2021 included recycled content.

Repurposing plastic also has the added impact of creating jobs in the informal economy, as waste pickers generate incomes from recycling plastic, Pierce noted.

Pick n Pay is a founding member of the SA Plastics Pact, which includes stakeholders from government, businesses and NGOs, all focused on reducing plastic waste and pollution.

Source:

Lameez Omarjee at News24

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