Packaging has an important job to do. When large electricals travel from Currys warehouses to stores, distribution centres and customers’ homes, they need to arrive in one piece with no damage. That’s where Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) comes in, offering lightweight protection and absorbing bumps along the journey.
But once that job is done, things become more complicated. EPS is bulky, awkward to handle and expensive to transport in its loose form. It is not widely accepted through kerbside recycling, meaning packaging that has done its job can quickly become difficult to deal with next.
Currys saw an opportunity to tackle this head on. EPS is fully recyclable, but it only retains value if it is captured cleanly and handled correctly. Once mixed with household waste, its recycling potential is often lost.
Rather than focusing on disposal, Currys looked at how the packaging could be given a new lease of life. By capturing EPS immediately after appliances are unpacked, and before it becomes waste, the material remains clean, usable and suitable for recycling.
As part of its standard home delivery service, Currys teams unbox large appliances in customers’ homes, removing EPS packaging straight away. This leaves no bulky packaging behind, reduces empty return journeys, and ensures EPS can be recycled properly.
No additional vans or specialist collections are needed. EPS is backhauled through existing delivery routes, processed at delivery centres in specialist machines, and compacted into dense briquettes ready for reprocessing.
A proportion of these briquettes are supplied to specialist recyclers and converted into insulation materials used in Sustainable housing projects across Europe. EPS that once protected appliances goes on to help improve building thermal performance.
Good for customers, good for the planet, good for Currys.
British Plastics Federation