Disposing of packaging correctly can often be confusing and challenging for consumers. ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD in Germany are rolling out an initiative to provide easy to understand information about the correct separation of recyclable materials on all their own brands.
To this end, the company has developed on-pack information that show how the individual components of a pack should be disposed of. The first packs with the extra information will be rolled out in the spring of 2019 to all the company’s own brand product packaging.
“The aim of the introduction of extra separation information on all of our own brands is to raise our customers’ recycling awareness. Only products that have been correctly separated can also be recycled," says Kristina Bell, Group Buying Director at ALDI SÜD, responsible for Quality & Corporate Responsibility.
Does a jam jar’s lid need to be removed before recycling? How should I dispose of a milk carton? What about the window on the pasta box? Answers to these and other questions can be found in the disposal instructions. They show in which bin a package and its individual components should go to. Packaging made from different materials pose a particular challenge. Therefore, easy to understand graphics demonstrate the process step by step. For example, with a yoghurt pot, the cup is made from plastics, the lid is made from aluminium and the wrap around label is made from paper. If these are not properly separated, the materials could be lost for the recycling stream.
