The issue of tea bag waste is an important one to the company behind the PG Tips brand, Unilever. As part of its Sustainable Living Plan, the company has committed to halving the waste associated with its products by 2020 and tea bags account for its biggest waste footprint in the UK.

A joint campaign, across the PG Tips facebook page and Recyclebank’s own website, features a video informing consumers how best used tea bags can be disposed of.

Those who engage in the campaign will be given the chance to learn and earn rewards which convert into money off coupons for PG Tips products.

The partnership with Recyclebank builds on PG Tips’ momentum in this area over the past year which has focused on tea bag recycling.

This has included working with Brentwood Borough Council, Chelmsford Council and WRAP in an awareness raising campaign to encourage Essex residents to recycle their used tea bags.

Since this trial, the brand has also used its Facebook page to engage with its almost 325,000 fans in discussions about tea bag waste through a recycling challenge.

Unilever’s research shows that more than 4 in 10 consumers (44%) are not aware that it is possible to recycle tea bags, yet more than 8 in 10 (82%) might or would consider recycling them if they knew how to go about it.

Commenting on the campaign, Unilever UK & Ireland’s brand building director for tea Antonia Bird said: “Small and simple daily actions can make a big difference and that is what we’re hoping to show through our partnership with Recyclebank.

“The everyday actions we take can amount to a big sustainability impact, so simply by disposing of our tea bags in food waste collections or on the compost, rather than sending them to landfill is a great way for us all to play our part.”

Maxine Perella

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