Aldi has begun a postal recycling scheme for aluminium and plastic blister packs used for medicine, in partnership with TerraCycle.
From this week, customers can order a freepost envelope via Aldi’s website, which can then be used to send empty medicine blister packs to TerraCycle using Royal Mail. Recycling giant TerraCycle will then convert the waste into material which can be used to make new products, such as nuts and bolts from the aluminium and outdoor furniture from the plastic, according to Aldi.
The scheme, which covers both branded and own-label medicine, comes with a limit of two envelopes per month per customer.
It builds on an existing TerraCycle-backed Aldi initiative letting shoppers leave used blister packs at a recycling collection point at the discounter’s Leamington Spa store, which opened in September last year.
“We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and continue to look for new ways to promote recycling wherever possible,” said Aldi UK plastics and packaging director Luke Emery.
“We hope our customers will get involved in the trial and embrace this new way of recycling their empty blister packets.”
Julien Tremblin, TerraCycle general manager for Europe, said: “The removal of pharmaceutical packaging from landfill and incineration remains a key focus.
“We are delighted to work with Aldi on this new medicine blister pack recycling scheme, which will enable the creation of a more circular plastic packaging chain.”
Wrap senior specialist Adam Herriott said: “Blister packs are a product that cannot currently be recycled at the kerbside and are instead disposed of in general waste, so we fully support this trial.
“Being able to recycle this type of packaging into raw material, which can then be used for new products, is something we and our UK Plastics Pact members are working hard to achieve on a range of difficult-to-recycle plastics. We look forward to seeing the results of the trial.”
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