Sainsbury's switches to green packaging

Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King has unveiled plans to sell its own-brand products in compostable packs, instead of using plastic, as part of an environmental push.

Lobbying other retailers to follow suit, Sainsbury's says the scheme will save 3,550 tonnes of plastic a year. Compostable packaging will replace 150 million plastic trays and bags used to package the supermarket's ready meals and organic food, cutting the amount of waste product destined for landfill sites in the UK.

Following a trial, Sainsbury's is the latest of the big four supermarkets to unveil a green scheme in recent weeks. King said: 'We're now confident that putting 500 types of our food, from ready meals to organics, in compostable packaging will significantly help to reduce the packaging that most threatens the environment.'

He added: 'We urge the Government to ensure that every home in Britain has a compost bin. We also support other retailers in putting more of their food in this packaging, so that it becomes the norm.'

Almost half of the chain's organic fruit and vegetables will use the new packaging this week, and 80 per cent by January. All of Sainsbury's ready meals will be in the new packing by September next year, while organic sausages and whole birds will follow in October.