A LOCAL MP recently visited a business in our area to find out about its commitment to reduce packaging waste. 

North Wiltshire MP James Gray visited Wiltshire Farm Foods’ Cricklade depot which delivers ready made meals to customers, many of whom are elderly residents, across the county.

The MP was introduced to the company's closed-loop recycling programme for meal trays where the trays are collected from customers and are then taken to a specialist recycling facility in Durham which use the recycled plastic to create brand-new trays.

Wiltshire Farm Foods also avoids using secondary packaging such as cardboard sleeves on its meals and reuses the boxes that meals are delivered in multiple times before they are recycled.

Lee Sheppard, director of policy, corporate affairs and sustainability for Wiltshire Farm Foods, said: “Our closed-loop recycling scheme demonstrates the serious approach we’ve taken to reducing waste within our packaging. 

"In just over two years of operation, we have successfully collected over twenty million meal trays back from our customers and are seeing collection rates close to 50 per cent, with a 100 per cent guarantee that all of the trays collected are reformed into new trays.”

The MP said: “It is great to see a food company making big investments in future-looking systems to support their environmental impact.

“Wiltshire Farm Foods is in a unique situation with conscientious regular customers washing the food trays and returning them directly on the doorstep to delivery staff when they arrive with a fresh order. 

"It’s clear that its customers enjoy being involved in the process.”