At last, I may have found a solution to the problem of recycling label release paper! Most paper mills and recycling companies won’t take it because of the shiny coating (see this post). But I recently spoke to Berkshire labels again (I contacted them before about biodegradable labels, see this post) and they told me that they could help. They’ve found a company that turns label release paper into paper towels for hand drying. So if they were to supply us with labels, Berkshire labels would be willing to collect any waste release paper from us and send it on to be recycled. If all our label release paper could be recycled, this would be a big step towards becoming a zero waste to landfill site as this material is fast becoming our biggest source of waste.

Hello again! Apologies for the long absence and lack of posts but now I am back and will be updating the blog at least once a week with news on our progress towards sustainability.

First of all, congratulations are in order! A few months ago I entered Alara into the IGD Food Industry Awards in the Tetra Pak Environmental Sustainability Award category and I am pleased to say that we were short-listed as a finalist. Unfortunately we didn’t win, but the competition was fierce and it was a real achievement just to be listed amongst the final four short-listed competitors! Also in the final four were Asda, Dairy Crest and Young’s who won the award for their “Fish for Life” programme. We are proud that our achievements over the last year have been recognised and a big thank you goes to all our staff who have been instrumental in increasing our recycling rates, reducing energy consumption and many other initiatives. Well done to you all!