Waitrose joins Polytag’s plastic tracking initiative to boost recycling in the UK

Polytag has announced the inclusion of Waitrose & Partners to its Ecotrace Programme, an initiative to track and recycle single-use packaging in the UK. As part of the program, Waitrose has access to the Polytag dashboard, a platform for tracking the lifecycle of plastic packaging.

Alice Rackley, CEO at Polytag, says: “Waitrose joins us at a pivotal moment as we approach our goal of installing plastic detection units (PDUs) at 12 sites within the first year of our Ecotrace Programme. This incredible achievement will empower FMCG brands, retailers, and waste management companies by providing invaluable access to granular barcode-level data on 50% of the UK’s waste recycling stream.”

Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme launched in 2024. It aims to enhance the identification and recycling of plastic packaging waste by installing PDUs in Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF).

The PDUs are retrofitted to conveyors that can detect Polytag’s UV tags. As a result, brands can see how much packaging is recycled. According to Polytag, the goal of the PDUs and Ecotrace Programme is to “improve the efficiency and accuracy of plastic recycling in the UK.” 

Denise Mathieson, head of Packaging Design and Delivery at Waitrose, says: “Joining Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme is a significant step forward in enhancing our ability to track and understand the journey of our plastic packaging post-consumption.”

“By leveraging Polytag’s technology, we will gain unprecedented insights into how our packaging is recycled, allowing us to make more informed decisions that support a circular economy. This initiative aligns with our ongoing sustainability efforts and reinforces our dedication to reducing single-use plastic waste.” 

Improved waste management

Waitrose says that through the Ecotrace Programme, it is committed to “reducing our impact on the environment” by exploring recyclable packaging solutions. 

Recently, the supermarket switched to Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland’s K3 r100 self-separating packaging for its own-brand instant porridge pots, aiming to increase recycling efficiency across waste management systems.

Polytag aims to install 12 PDUs in MRFs in the UK. Recently, it fitted four PDUs in Wales, UK, which will track the 170,000 tons of waste that enters the recycling and recovery stream every year.

The company hopes its Ecotrace Programme will provide members with data that “enables them to take responsibility for their single-use plastic packaging and drive up the country’s recycling rate.”