Friday, December 6

Royal Mail warn protestors over posting crisp packets


 

 

Royal Mail has urged customers to stop putting empty Walkers crips packets in the post without envelopes, venturing into a row between the snack giant and protesters.

Environmental campaigners have told people to send bags back to the PepsiCo brand as a form of protest because they aren’t yet recyclable.

Customers have been told to flood Walkers social media with pictures of us popping them in the post, along with the hashtag #PacketinWalkers.

Royal Mail is legally required to deliver the bags to Walkers’ freepost address, but it says packets that aren’t in envelopes are causing delays.

The packets cannot go through machines and must be sorted by hand.

Some 310,500 people have backed a petition calling on Walkers to improve on its 2025 target to create new recyclable packets.

Protesters have posted selfies online showing them popping the packets into the post. Royal Mail said it has handled about 30 packets so far.

Leicester-based Walkers produces 11 million bags a day and by 2025, 28 billion will have been added to landfill.

Geraint Ashcroft, of Pontypridd, Wales, started the petition with campaign group 38 Degrees.

The 61-year-old said: Manufacturing giants like Walkers need to do their bit.

Cathy Warren, campaigner at 38 Degrees, said: There’s huge public concern about the amount of plastic being produced, and that means it’s crunch time for Walkers to decide if they will listen to their customers.

Their promise to deal with plastic crisp packets by 2025 is woefully inadequate.

By that time, they will have produced a breathtaking amount of plastic waste without paying a penny to clean it up.

The group had posted photos on Twitter showing empty Walkers packets being sent back as they were, without being in an envelope.

It wrote to its followers on Wednesday: Royal Mail have asked people to use envelopes when posting crisp packets keep posting, but use an envelope.

Royal Mail has urged people not to post anything that isn’t properly packaged.

A spokeswoman said: If an item is addressed properly and carries the correct postage then Royal Mail is obliged by law to handle and deliver the item to the stated address.

We strongly encourage customers not to post anything into the postal system which is not properly packaged. And if they are talking part in this campaign we would urge them to put crisp packets in an envelope before posting.

Ms Warren, of 38 Degrees, said: “Royal Mail has asked people to use envelopes when posting crisp packets and we will update the thousands of Walkers’s customers who are taking part.

Up and down the country, people are telling Walkers to step up when it comes to plastic waste.

Walkers produce a staggering 7,000 plastic crisp packets a minute which they don’t pay a penny to clean up. They need to listen to their customers and take action now.

Walkers has said of the campaign: “We have received returned packets and recognise the efforts to bring [this] to our attention.

It has promised to make all of its packaging 100 per cent recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025.