Customers call out companies on unnecessary waste and use of plastic

Saturday, 14 July 2018

When Hannah Hurst ordered a shelving unit from Freedom Furniture in Auckland, she was shocked at the amount of packaging that came with it.

The war on plastic is gaining traction in New Zealand, and consumers aren't afraid to call out companies on it, writes Sara Meij.

Auckland woman Hannah Hurst got an environmental fright when she ordered a modular bookcase from Freedom Furniture.

Umut Aydin's Countdown delivery appeared in plastic bags.

Inside she found each item individually packed in plastic, paper, two layers of polystyrene and two layers of cardboard.

'At first I thought, 'wow this is a bit over the top,'' Hurst said. 'And then I got quite annoyed and angry at how much packaging there was, and the type – so much polystyrene.

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'I was also dismayed at the fact that I was expected to dispose of it all.'

While supermarkets nationwide vow to phase out single use plastic bags, bars and fast food joints promise to cut back on plastic straws, and big business promises to 'reduce, reuse, recycle' Our Seas Our Future scientific advisor Emily Frost says some gaps remain.

While the packaging and plastic reduction movement was great, organisations often focused on one area while others were overlooked.

'It's falling by the wayside in terms of trying to reduce other plastic items or packaging within organisations.'

One of those areas was packaging for delivery.

A Stuff call for photos of over-packaged items saw dozens of photos of single books packaged in large boxes with bubble wrap, and individual food items wrapped in plastic.

Among them was Aucklander Umut Aydin who says he repeatedly asked his local Countdown to pack his delivered groceriesinto boxes instead of plastic bags, he still received everything in plastic bags.

Aydin said he wasn't going to order online anymore as a result.

'It's really frustrating to see how many plastic bags these big companies are wasting.'

A Countdown spokesperson said the company would eliminate single use plastic bags for online shopping by the end of the year.

'We've been trialling different options for online shopping throughout this year and we're really close to confirming a replacement for single-use plastic bags for online.

'We know our online shoppers are keen to get rid of these bags as much as we are.'

Customers could request their groceries be packed in a box, but they weren't always on hand as the stores flatten and recycle paper and cardboard on-site.

Hurst was also thinking twice about shopping at Freedom again.

'Particularly for larger items. I usually prefer to buy second hand anyway, no packaging there.'

A Freedom Furniture spokesperson said the company 'absolutely' cared about sustainability and was listening to its customers on the packaging requests.

'We are already looking into how we can reduce the amount of non-recyclable material used to deliver our product to customers across the country, whilst ensuring it arrives in one piece.'

War on packaging: Big business goals

McDonald's

McDonald's announced in January plans to significantly reduce waste through its packaging.

Spokesman Simon Kenny said by 2025 it hoped to have 100 per cent of packaging come from renewable, recycled or certified sources. Its Taupo restaurant is trialling a reduction in single use straws.

'By 2025, 100 per cent of McDonald's guest packaging will come from renewable, recycled, or certified sources. Also by 2025, the company has set a goal to recycle guest packaging in 100 per cent of McDonald's restaurants.

'Several years ago we also ran a waste audit in restaurants, which provided practical measures we could take back of house for recycling and to reduce waste to landfill.'

The Warehouse Group

The Warehouse Group head of environmental initiatives Greg Nelson said the Warehouse stores recycled 82 per cent of its waste in 2017 through recycling cardboard, paper and plastics, with a target of 95 per cent by 2020.

At its Noel Leeming stores it recycled its polystyrene by turning it into art frames and since February it claimed to have compacted 7500 cubic metres – enough to fill three Olympic swimming pools. At the Warehouse it had collected 67 tonnes of recyclable material including old phones, and toner cartridges.

'We are currently working on reducing plastic in our packaging and developing a plan for reducing single-use plastics. Where possible we use recycled materials or recyclable materials.

'We've charged for plastic bags since 2009 and donated the proceeds to charity. Since we started charging for plastic bags, we've donated close to $4m to local charities and community groups.'

Cotton On Group

Global retail giant Cotton On Group is going plastic bag freeby the end of the year.

Chief financial officer Michael Hardwick said the company plans to eliminate all plastic bags at its stores by December. This will apply to the group's 1400 stores in 17 countries, including 139 stores in New Zealand.

My Food Bag

Last week the company removed plastic wrapping from its cucumbers and spring onions.

'Every little bit helps,' said My Food Bag chief marketing officer Lou Cunningham. She said said environmental sustainability was a key part of its plan to create healthier communities in New Zealand.

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