The theme for this year’s Earth Day is all about ending use of plastics. At Yeo Valley Organic, we’re working to ‘close the loop’ on our packaging by making changes that reflect our sustainability values. As members of The UK Plastics Pact, we’re making good progress on our journey of making sure all plastic packaging is fully recyclable and made from recycled plastic.

Did you know that in 2022/23, the total weight of ‘waste from households’ in England decreased to 21.3 million tonnes down 6.6 per cent from 22.8 million tonnes in 2021/22? [1]

Say hello to clear lids!

Last summer, we changed the blue and green lids on our milk bottles to ones that are a little less colourful. The Yeo Valley Organic milk bottle lids are 100% recyclable and made of at least 30% recycled material. But even better than that, by removing the coloured dye, when these new clear lids are recycled they can be reused for food-grade packaging. A small change that makes a big impact!

Say goodbye to single-use plastic lids

After successful trials in 2021, we began saying bye-bye to ‘single-use plastic’ clip lids from our 350g and 450g yogurt tubs. By removing single-use plastic such as the clip lid, we’re removing 145 tonnes of plastic a year – that’s the equivalent of 188 Friesian cows, 24 African elephants or 17 tractors!

Worried about the freshness of your delicious yogurt? Here’s some helpful storage tips:

• Skip the clingfilm and instead use a reusable alternative like beeswax wraps which can be moulded to different sizes
• Decant your yogurt into a spare Tupperware container. Make sure the lid is tightly sealed.
• Store yogurt at the back of the fridge, where it’s colder. Make sure it is set to 4°C or below.

First in the yogurt world to use 100% recycled plastic

Back in 2020, we started changing our yogurt pots to 100% recycled plastics. You might have noticed that these pots seem a little wobbly but that’s because the plastic content is lower than our standard pots. Being made from 100% recycled plastic isn’t easy but it is the right thing to do.

1 Litre Milk Carton

It’s the same great-tasting, fresh organic milk, but now available in a fully recyclable carton!

Not only are the Yeo Valley Organic milk cartons made of renewable, plant-based materials, but they also use 70% less plastic than the previous bottles. The new 1L cartons are made only of materials that can naturally renew themselves, and in doing so, we’ve cut the carbon footprint of our packaging by more than half.

Yeo Valley Organic always want to do better and recognises that no packaging is perfect. That is why we like to experiment with multiple formats to see what works best for consumers and with the UK’s recycling capability.

Tips to help reduce your single-use plastic waste:

• Recycling, whenever you can, has a positive impact on the planet
• Carry a reusable bottle
• Take a reusable coffee cup
• Try not to use disposable plastic cutlery
• Carry reusable shopping bags
• Ditch cling film and use alternatives – upside down plate, beeswax wrap

Reference:

[1] Gov.uk,  Local authority collected waste management – annual results 2022/23, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-collected-waste-management-annual-results/local-authority-collected-waste-management-annual-results-202223#:~:text=The%20tonnage%20of%20residual%20waste,per%20cent%20of%20the%20total.