Tennis star Johanna Konta helps nation get to grips with flexible plastics to celebrate launch of Abel & Cole's game changing, UK first, doorstep flexible plastics recycling service

A game-changing new service from sustainable online grocer, Abel & Cole, promises to help the nation finally get to grips with flexible plastics waste through a ground-breaking doorstep recycling scheme. With flexible plastics accounting for a shocking 300,000 tonnes of packaging waste annually[1], the new 'Plastic Pick-Up' service serves an ace in the battle to tackle this growing challenge for households across the country.

To celebrate the launch and help Brits get to grips with the flexible plastics in their waste, former British women's number one tennis player, Johanna Konta, has joined forces with Abel & Cole to demonstrate the scrunch test – the fool proof way to ace recycling.

Accompanying the launch of the service, new research today reveals the shocking scale of our national flexible plastics problem. Whilst we are beginning to turn a corner in our desire to reduce our plastics use, with 95% of us reporting that we regularly recycle, more than half of us (55%) are completely unaware that flexible plastics – like carrier bags and bread bags – cannot actually be recycled from home. And less than a third of us (33%) can correctly identify common flexible plastic items in the home.

But help is at hand, thanks to the newly launched, game changing 'Plastic Pick-Up' service from B Corp-certified Abel & Cole – rolling out across the country this month. Following a hugely successful trial in early 2022, the service – a UK first – will offer doorstep recycling to its customers, collecting household flexible plastics (from any retailer) to be recycled each week and repurposed into sustainable building materials.

Commenting on the launch, Johanna said: 'I care enormously about the environment and always try my hardest to make positive contributions to it – whether that's at home or being vocal about plastic use within my sport. But even I struggle to know what I can and can't recycle at home. The launch of Abel & Cole's Plastic Pick-Up service is so easy to do and saves me such a lot of time. With Abel & Cole's help, I am confident that the environmental impact from my household shopping and waste is kept to a minimum.'

Today's study has also uncovered the scale of our national 'cupboards of shame' – the cupboards, drawers, boxes and totes stuffed full of plastic bags we don't use or recycle – an average of 14 bags per household which, if laid out flat, would cover Wales twice over!

And to further help the nation get to grips with flexi plastics, Abel & Cole has uncovered the top 5 flexi plastics most commonly wrongly 'recycled' at home:

• Toilet roll wrappers (36% incorrectly thought they could be recycled normally at home)
• Plastic carrier bags (30%)
• Bread bags (21%)
• Salad packets (19%)
• Drinks shrink wrap (11%)

Hugo Lynch, Abel & Cole's Sustainability Projects Manager adds: 'At Abel & Cole we've been passionate about doing the best for the planet since we first launched our organic veg delivery service 33 years ago. And that passion extends to helping our customers live their most sustainable lives too.

'We're on a mission to make shopping sustainably simple, putting our planet first every step of the way. We want to provide easy ways to be more sustainable, which is why we've launched our new Plastic Pick-Up scheme.  It's part of our Packaging Promise – helping customers slim their bin by collecting back anything they can't reuse or recycle. We've always collected and reused our boxes and packing materials, and with this new service we can be confident that everything a customer receives from Abel & Cole, plus flexi plastics from other retailers, will be reused or recycled responsibility. Rolling out 'Plastic Pick-Up' across the nation is one of our most ambitious schemes yet, but we know it's going to be worth it – with the potential to save tonnes of waste from landfill every single day.'

Want to send less to landfill? To join the 'Plastic Pick-Up' scheme, choose one of Abel & Cole's delicious, organic Fruit & Veg Boxes – or fill up your online basket with organic and sustainable groceries – then simply opt-in to the service at 'My Account'. Start shopping sustainably at www.abelandcole.co.uk

To find out which plastics pass the scrunch test and can now be saved from landfill, head to Abel & Cole's Plastic Pick-Up page at www.abelandcole.co.uk/scrunch

ENDS

For more information, please contact Sophie.Lanning@kindredagency.com / [07792 108 131], Courtney.Grover@kindredagency.com / [07985 726 550] or Polly.Parkin@kindredagency.com / [07961 585 130]

About Abel & Cole

Since 1988, we've believed that food has the power to save the world. We're on a mission to make shopping sustainably simple, putting people and our planet first every step of the way. We want to provide easy ways to help the planet. That's why we put in all the hard work behind the scenes, from sourcing the finest, organic, sustainable & wild food to reducing unnecessary packaging, so all you have to do is choose your sustainable, carbon-neutral weekly shop. From supporting independent growers and makers to cutting carbon emissions, every Abel & Cole box that lands on your doorstep makes a world of difference. For more information, visit www.abelandcole.co.uk / @abelandcole (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube)

About B Corporations

Certified B Corporations, or B-Corps, are companies verified to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The B Corp Community is a global movement of businesses who provide leadership by demonstrating their commitment to people and the planet. There are now over 4,000 B Corps in over 75 countries and covering 150 sectors.

[1] 2019. WRAP