The gardens will comprise recycled furniture made via Veolia’s recycling methodology. Credit: Tesco.

Soft plastic packaging, a notorious recycling challenge, is getting a new lease on life thanks to a collaborative project between Tesco, Veolia, and Groundwork.

Specifically, commonly discarded items such as crisp packets and bread bags will be transformed into benches, decking, and other outdoor furniture for National Health Service (NHS) community gardens.

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Veolia’s innovative recycling technology allows these difficult-to-recycle materials to be repurposed into usable products.

The recycled furniture will be donated to NHS Property Services’ (NHSPS) Social Prescribing Programme, which creates green spaces around health centres for patients and the local community.

This initiative tackles two critical issues: plastic waste reduction and improving public health through access to nature.

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Thousands of pieces of soft plastic collected by Tesco will be diverted from landfills and transformed into functional furniture.

This aligns with Tesco’s 4Rs packaging strategy, which prioritises plastic removal, reduction, reuse, and recycling.

Access to nature via NHSPS’ community gardens can contribute to reduced stress, improved mental health, and increased physical activity.

The first garden featuring recycled furniture made from Tesco-collected soft plastics will be created at the John Scott Health Centre in UK capital London. 

Further projects are planned across various locations in the UK.

This initiative exemplifies successful collaboration between:

Tesco: Contributing collected soft plastics and promoting responsible packaging practices.

Veolia: Providing innovative recycling technology to transform this plastic waste into usable materials.

Groundwork: Coordinating the project by utilising its landscape architecture expertise to design sustainable spaces.

NHSPS: Implementing the Social Prescribing Programme and integrating the recycled furniture into its community gardens.

“This is a great example of innovative thinking to minimise plastic waste while improving much-needed open spaces in local communities,” said Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK CEO.

“We’re proud to be playing our part in delivering this project with the sustainable design expertise and nature-based solutions brought by our landscape architects and look forward to seeing the benefits it brings to communities and the environment.”  

The project represents a significant step forward in tackling plastic waste, promoting public health, and fostering collaboration across the private and public sectors.