Tesco is initiating an innovative in-store recycling trial, transforming broken plastic toys into educational materials for UK schools. This initiative, in collaboration with Hasbro and Wastebuster, encourages families to recycle at participating locations.
- From 4 September to 4 December, selected Tesco stores will host recycling bins for broken plastic toys.
- Collected toys will be transformed into new products like coat hangers and chair components.
- The trial supports the Recycle to Read campaign, enhancing children’s reading materials access.
- Schools in Sussex with the highest recycling points will receive book vouchers, supported by Harper Collins.
Tesco is embarking on a pioneering initiative aimed at reducing plastic waste by turning broken toys into educational resources for schools across the United Kingdom. In collaboration with Hasbro and Wastebuster, this campaign seeks to encourage families to recycle their broken hard plastic toys at designated Tesco stores between 4 September and 4 December.
Participating Tesco locations will host special recycling bins where families can deposit their unwanted plastic toys. Once collected, these toys will undergo cleaning and processing to be repurposed into plastic pellets. These pellets will then be used to manufacture new items such as coat hangers, chairs, and coffee machine parts, offering a circular solution to plastic waste.
Ally Rose, Tesco’s category director for toys, emphasised the retailer’s commitment to reducing plastic in their operations, expressing enthusiasm for supporting the Recycle to Read campaign as a means for customers to engage in more sustainable practices at home. Besides promoting recycling, the initiative also aims to enhance children’s access to reading materials.
The Recycle to Read scheme incentivises participants by allowing families to register re-homed and recycled toys on the Wastebuster website. Schools attended by participating children, aged two to eleven in the Sussex area, can earn Planet Care Points, which are awarded for recycling efforts. The fifty schools with the most points will be rewarded with book vouchers from a prize fund worth £5,000, courtesy of children’s publisher Harper Collins.
This trial reflects Tesco’s forward-thinking approach to sustainability, aiming to foster environmental responsibility and educational advancement.
