How to Recycle Easter Egg Packaging

How to Recycle Easter Egg Packaging

It’s not Easter if you don’t feast on a chocolate egg or three. The first chocolate Easter eggs in Britain were introduced by Fry’s in 1873, and now they make up around 10% of our annual spending on chocolate. Just incase you were wondering, we munch our way through about 80 million chocolate eggs every year. Not great for our waistlines, or for the environment.

80 million Easter eggs come with a whole lot of packaging, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Mars, Nestle, and Cadbury’s have reduced the size and weight of their Easter egg packaging by 25%, and Marks and Spencer’s packaging is now made from 85% recycled materials, and we should remember, unless it’s especially excessive, packaging serves a purpose. The plastic the egg is encased in protects it from breaking and prolongs its shelf life, which you could argue saves products from being thrown in the bin for being defective. However if that plastic is then thrown in the bin, it kind of negates its positive qualities.

So when it comes to Easter egg packaging, what can you recycle?

Easter egg boxes

They are made from cardboard, so just flatten them before you put them in the recycling bin.

Plastic moulds

They can be recycled as they’re made from PET, the same plastic that is used to make plastic bottles. Just make sure they are clean and not contaminated, which can make them harder to recycle.

Foil

Most Easter eggs are wrapped in foil, which is widely recycled in the UK. All you need to do is scrunch it up into a ball. Make sure it’s not too contaminated with chocolate or it might not be able to be recycled.

What can’t you recycle?

• The plastic windows in the front of the boxes aren’t yet recyclable
• Chocolate bar wrappers-they need to go into the general waste bin

Remember to separate your recycling and put it into the correct bins after you have tucked into your Easter eggs. And don’t forget to recycle your Easter cards too!