Easter egg packaging as wasteful as ever
Confectionary giants have done nothing to cut down on the amount of wasteful packaging on Easter eggs, a prominent MP has found.
Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson's 2012 Easter Egg Packaging report – the latest in a long campaign to reduce wasteful product packaging – found only 38% of the average Easter egg box is actually Easter egg. The rest of paper and plastic packaging.
"Manufacturers know that their plastic boxes aren't widely recycled and yet they continue to use them, despite other companies showing how Easter eggs can be packaged with a mind to efficiency and recyclability," she said.
Ms Swinson's report classified 11 eggs by chocolate egg to packaging ratio and overall recyclability.
Nestle, Mars and Cadbury had cut overall packaging and removed plastic from medium size Easter eggs, but more high-end brands such as Thornton's, Baileys and Marks & Spencer still used plastic.
Commercial Easter eggs are responsible for an estimated 3,000 tonnes of waste in the UK each year, according to a government advisory body.
