Tesco makes recycling pledge as profits hit record levels

Tesco believes new automated recycling machines can double the amount of packaging recycled by customers at its stores

The company wants to double the amount of packaging waste that is recycled by its customers using automated machinery located at Tesco stores.

Tesco, which has a 30% share of the UK grocery market, believes its action could deliver 10% of the required increase in packaging recovery needed to meet European targets set by the Packaging Directive for 2008.

Fund
Tesco posted financial results this morning, showing the chain made 2.2 billion profit in the year ended February 25, 2006. Along with the results, the company announced a 100 million environmental fund to reduce its impact on climate change.

Tesco said it will invest in further recycling initiatives to make recycling “easy and attractive” for customers. And, it will trial a gasification system to turn its own waste into “clean, sustainable power”.

In its financial statement, Tesco reported that in 2005, the company recycled 71% of all store waste – saving nearly 27,000 tonnes of material from landfill. Tesco's waste management services are provided by Severnside.

Machines
The company said it had now invested 600,000 in new automated recycling machines for customers at stores in Winchester, Havant, Portsmouth, Southampton, Andover and Royston, adding: “We plan to install these at many more stores.”

Tesco declared: “We believe this will enable us to double the amount our customers bring for recycling and this additional material would account for around 10% of the total additional tonnage to meet the UK's EU packaging recycling targets by 2008.”

The supermarket launched its automated recycling machines at its Winchester store in 2004 (see letsrecycle.com story). The machines, made by Norwegian firm Tomra, have openings for the public to deposit plastics, glass and cans, which are automatically separated, while separate openings allow plastic bags and paper/cardboard to be dropped off for recycling.

Recycled store
Today also saw Tesco revealing ambitions to develop the first-ever supermarket built entirely from recycled materials. The company said recycled wood, plastics and other green materials would be used in the store to be built in Norfolk.

“This store, which we heop to build in Aylsham, Norfolk, will also house all of the latest environmental technology making it, we believe, the greenest store in the world,” the company said.