Oakham Aldi in trial to remove plastic packaging from toilet roll

Aldi is to trial removing plastic packaging from packets of toilet roll in Oakham in a move that could save more than 900 tonnes of plastic nationwide each year.

The supermarket is to sell four-packs of Luxury Toilet Paper wrapped in paper, rather than non-recyclable plastic, across parts of the East Midlands from next month.

The trial – which is also being carried out in parts of the North East – will save around nine tonnes of plastic from going to waste.

If successful, however, the paper packaging will be rolled out across the country on all packs of toilet paper, saving an estimated 935 tonnes of plastic each year. It could then be extended to cover kitchen towels in due course.

Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Wherever we can find plastic packaging that can be removed or replaced with recyclable alternatives, we are determined to do just that.

“While we are starting this trial in the East Midlands, we hope to roll it out across the UK as soon as possible as part of our aim to tackle the use of excess plastic.

“Whether that means taking shrink-wrap off vegetables or introducing paper and compostable carrier bags, we are committed to ensuring that our packaging doesn’t end up as waste.”

Removing plastic from household goods is part of the supermarket’s work to ensure all its own-label packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022.

It is also targeting removing all hard-to-recycle plastic – such as undetectable black plastics, PVC and expanded polystyrene – from its food range by the end of 2020, and reducing all plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023.