Tissue World Magazine
Alexandra Stuthridge, Technical Business Manager, BioProducts Institute (BPI)

Aldi is to trial removing plastic packaging from packets of toilet roll in regions of the UK, in a move it said could save more than 900 tonnes of plastic a year.

The supermarket will sell four-packs of Luxury Toilet Paper wrapped in paper rather than non-recyclable plastic in 174 stores across parts of the North East and Midlands.

If successful, the company said paper packaging will be rolled out across the UK and on all packets of toilet paper, saving an estimated 935 tonnes of plastic each year.

The move could then be extended to cover kitchen towels.|

Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Wherever we can find plastic packaging that can be removed or replaced with recyclable alternatives, we are determined to do just that.

“From taking shrink-wrap off vegetables to introducing paper and compostable bags, we are committed to ensuring that our packaging doesn’t end up as waste.”

Aldi is also targeting removing all hard-to-recycle plastic – such as undetectable black plastics, PVC and expanded polystyrene – from its food range by the end of 2020, and reducing all plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023.