VEGWARE, an Edinburgh plant-based compostable packaging producer, has partnered with recycling company First Mile to provide a collection and recycling solution for their materials not covered by local council recycling.
First Mile currently collects over 25 material streams in London and Birmingham and has now introduced RecycleBox which will run across the UK. The partnership with Vegware will allow users of the service to dispose of the company’s packaging which would otherwise be rejected if put into standard council recycling bins.
Lucy Frankel, Vegware’s environmental and communications director, said, “First Mile’s RecycleBox service now creates full UK post-back coverage for used Vegware to access suitable waste infrastructure. Over two dozen UK facilities accept our compostable products, and trade collections for used Vegware now cover 38% of UK postcodes, up from 2% in 2012 when we started working with the waste sector.
“We introduced First Mile to a facility who had tested and approved Vegware products in their process and see RecycleBox as an innovative solution for individuals and foodservice businesses throughout the UK.”
First Mile founder and CEO, Bruce Bratley, said: “We’re delighted to be working alongside Vegware to ensure that its customers’ compostable packaging is effectively recycled. There’s no doubt that the popularity of compostable packaging is on the increase as consumers look for an alternative to conventional plastic.
“However, the waste industry has been much slower to react, making it hard – and almost impossible in some locations – to ensure that used products end up in the correct facility to be recycled properly.
“With the help of our RecycleBox, Vegware customers across the country can now confidently and easily recycle their items.”
