Trading officers call on Easter egg makers to reduce waste

The call follows checks carried out by Hampshire's Trading Standards Service comparing the volume of chocolate eggs to the quantity of packaging use in a selection of Easter eggs currently on sale.

” Manufacturers need to reconsider how much packaging they are using for all products, not just Easter eggs, as the more they use the more there is to be disposed of.“
– Cllr Ken Thornber, Hampshire CC

Officers found the average volume of the eggs represented only 22% of the total volume of the packaging, with the best being only being marginally higher at 28%. The worst came in with 86% packaging and just 14% chocolate egg, Hampshire county council said.

Regulations
Under the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 companies are required to minimise the amount of packaging they use – in terms of weight and volume – in order to reduce waste. Companies are to use the minimum packaging possible to maintain the necessary levels of safety, hygiene and product quality.

Hampshire trading standards officers believe eggs are “not really 'luxury' items and the packaging need not be over elaborate”. They will be pursuing the matter with the industry to seek a reduction in waste next year, the county council said.

The leader of Hampshire county council, Cllr Ken Thornber, said: “Manufacturers need to reconsider how much packaging they are using for all products, not just Easter eggs, as the more they use the more there is to be disposed of.

“Many people enjoy the tradition of exchanging Easter eggs with friends and family, and I would ask them where possible to buy those eggs with less packaging and to recycle as much of the packaging as they can,” Cllr Thornber added.

• Supermarket chain Sainsburys announced this week it has cut the amount of packaging used on its own brand Easter eggs by 30% – and believes it can reduce the level further still. Recycling and resources manager James McKechnie said: “We believe our customers are more concerned with the quality of the egg rather than the size of the box it's in.”