Woolworths is committed to using recycled paper, cardboard, plastic, cans and glass wherever we can and recycling our own waste. We also provide facilities to help our customers recycle theirs.
South Africa produces about 40 million tons of waste every year. More than a third of it is domestic waste. Most of this ends up in landfill sites and the fact is, quite a lot of what we throw away can be recycled. It’s why Woolworths has set some pretty tough goals for themselves by cutting down on packaging and using more recycled materials in products.
Woolworths has committed to reducing clothing packaging by more than a third and food packaging by 20% by 2012. Where possible, they use recycled and recyclable materials in packaging, and a quarter of the Foodmarket products already use recycled materials in their packaging.
FAST FACTS:
- Over 30% of the Woolworths in-store signage is made from recycled materials, and the entire fleet of trolleys and baskets contains recycled materials
- Plastic hangers from Woolworths contain up to 50% recycled materials, and are refurbished and reused over and over again
- Any hangers that can’t be repaired are broken down and the plastic and metal is sent for recycling into other products. None of it ends up in landfill
- In new stores, they are using shelving made from 90% recycled paper and 10% begasse from sugar cane
- They have practically eliminated cardboard waste in food operations by using reusable, recyclable plastic trays to transport products to Woolworths Foodmarkets
- Woolworths head office is reducing waste by using recycling bins and composting organic waste instead of wastepaper baskets
- They are selling a million reusable shopping bags a year to help tackle the problem of plastic bags in the environment
- They are committed to introducing a nationwide programme to encourage customers to recycle and over 200 tons of recyclable materials have been collected from eight pilot sites in just one year
OTHER WAYS WOOLWORTHS IS HELPING OUR PLANET: