• Close the Loop, Vegware’s composting scheme for central belt Scotland, composted 10,000 binloads of used Vegware products and food waste in 2023. A landmark moment for the collection

• The figure highlights how compostable packaging can effectively fit with existing waste infrastructure

• Vegware have been working with the waste sector since 2011 and established Close the Loop in 2017

Scottish packaging company, Vegware, has hit a new milestone – with their waste collections. Close the Loop, the brand’s trade waste collections for central belt Scotland composted 10,000 binloads of used Vegware packaging and food waste in 2023. The service collects used Vegware packaging and food waste from over 50 sites, including Glasgow Science Centre, Fife College and Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth, before turning it into high-grade compost in under 12 weeks.

For Vegware’s in-house waste management consultants, reporting 10,000 binloads in a year is a landmark. It highlights the demand and viability of UK compostable packaging waste collections and cements Vegware’s place as an expert in end-of-life solutions.

In addition to diverting compostable waste away from landfill, Close the Loop provides Scottish foodservices with a solution to a global environmental issue. Food waste.

According to businesswaste.co.uk, 9.5 million tonnes of food waste is generated in the UK every year(1) with the vast majority ending up in landfill. The Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA) notes that food waste sent to landfill accounts for 8% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions and 31% of methane emissions(2). Instead, Close the Loop turns compostable waste into high-grade compost and returns essential nutrients to the earth.

Vegware’s waste management consultant, Phoebe Russell, who oversees Close the Loop said:

“Reaching 10,000 binloads of compostable packaging and food waste is an important milestone for our waste services. 2023 took the service into a new era, with a rebrand, expansion of the coverage and a landmark amount of bins sent to compost. It shows that composting collections work and that Vegware can provide real results.”

Vegware’s Environmental team provide free waste consultations for businesses looking to compost their Vegware products. Led by a chartered waste consultant, they helped 45 sites across the UK set up Vegware composting collections in 2023.

Visit: vegware.com/keentocompost for more information.

Notes to Editors

(1) (https://www.businesswaste.co.uk/food-waste-the-facts)

(2) (https://bbia.org.uk/bbia/our-focus/01-enabling-a-truly-circular-bioeconomy)

Images

Images owned by Vegware. Free to use here: (https://wetransfer.com/downloads/2ace3b80329f20297d7bc83032b2b8f520240226100119/ee5dfe)

Media contact: Kelly Falconer, Head of Marketing, +44 7543 222 742, comms@vegware.com

ABOUT VEGWARE

Vegware is a trusted brand of plant-based compostable food packaging and its end-of-life solutions. Our products are made from plants using renewable, recycled or reclaimed materials.

They are designed for industrial composting with food waste. Based in Edinburgh, Vegware is sold worldwide, operating from the UK, EU and USA.

Find @vegware on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

More information can be found at (https://www.vegware.com/uk-en)

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