Baby food brand Piccolo has launched what it claims is the UK’s first 100 per cent recyclable baby food pouch suitable for kerbside recycling.
Rather than the standard plastics and aluminium structure, Piccolo’s Yellow & Go pouches are made using a single material, polypropylene. The company has partnered with recycling scheme, First Mile, to ensure that consumers can recycle them from home. The multipack box doubles up as a returns box, with a QR code that allows consumers to download the free returns label to put on the box and send to First Mile.
Whilst many brands in the category aim to improve the recyclability of their pouches in the next 3-5 years, Piccolo said that it is taking steps now to ensure a greener future.
This system is in place as currently only 20 per cent of local councils in the UK recycle this plastics kerbside. More than 60 million non-recyclable pouches are sold every year.
Piccolo’s founder Cat Gazzoli said: “This is a really complex issue because of the lack of infrastructure to support recycling systems in the UK. We’re not prepared to wait years until the wider problem is resolved, so we’re working with First Mile to find the solution now. There’s simply no time to wait.”
The Yellow & Go pouches are the latest addition to the ‘& Go’ pouches, which launched in 2019 and are made of 80 per cent plant-derived materials.
