Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

The official Bury St Edmunds Town Crier

Today I'm all of a lather.

I was going to dedicate a whole blogpost to Nestlé's new Christmas selection boxes - you know the ones that come with 95% recyclable packaging. As they're the first large confectionery manufacturer to ditch the plastic inserts, I thought it would be worthy news.

Then I realised time was running out to vote for the Tetra Pak video competition, so I decided a bit of self-promotion wouldn't go amiss, to plead for you to vote for our "with tantrums and tears" How Do You Squash Yours entry, before time runs out this Sunday. Please, please, please, please, please!

But more importantly, there's the matter of the online charity auction, organised by Housewife Confidential, which will be live at Bambino Goodies on Monday. That deserves a whole post in itself, especially as it's to raise urgent money for the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund.

Oh decisions, decisions. So much news to share and so little time to do it.

So perhaps I should become a Town Crier, like the one spotted while out shopping today, promoting the Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre. Now he's a man who knows how to broadcast news.

Yes, that's it!

Forget blogging & Twitter, just give me a webcam, some regal attire and a handbell and my problems will be solved...well perhaps after a bit of practice.

So here goes...

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez...Remember to commit to reduced packaging this Christmas and to squash your Tetra Paks. And vote for our video too.

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez...Come to Bury St Edmunds this weekend and enjoy the Christmas fayre.

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez...Please, please, please support the Cumbria Flood Recovery auction. Bidding starts Monday and goes on all week.

Now I'm sure I've missed something....

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez

Ah yes...that's it.

Come back next week, when I'll have even more news. And I mean really exciting news!

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!

Oh my! Am I so glad to get all that off my chest. And it means I can now put my feet up tomorrow and give you a break too.

Altogether now...as loudly as you can.

...Hooray, Hooray, Hooray!

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We would love you to recycle this packaging...

"....but you have to separate the cardboard from any plastic. Just pop it along to your local recycling centre, and place it in the relevant bin."

Well what can I say? I must be in chocolate heaven and so close to Christmas too! Not only am I sat enjoying a box of yummy Thorntons chocolate mints, but the considerate product designers have included instructions on what I should do with the packaging.

It's common knowledge that one of the problems with getting people to recycle is the lack of knowledge about whether something can be recycled. Indeed 48% of recyclers interviewed for WRAP's Barriers to Recycling study admitted to throwing things in the bin because they weren't sure what to do.

Which is why explicit instructions on consumer products is an absolute necessity.

So if you're the type of person who screams at products that whisper the words "Recyclable if facilities exist" with no hint of the materials used, you'll be inspired by Thorntons' range of chocolates that shout their credentials so loudly you'll no longer need a degree to work out your options.

Take the Mint Collection for example. The instructions explicitly state that the plastic used is 50% recycled PET, enabling consumers to check local facilities with confidence. The cushion pad that protects the chocolates can be recycled too, as it's just paper. I know that from simply reading the box. I didn't even have to tear it up to work it out.

How refreshing to find a product where there is no ambiguity over its core packaging. This is most definitely a worthy zero waste benchmark, especially as Thorntons are one of the few chocolate manufacturers to avoid wrapping their products in that annoyingly awkward film. Of course if I wanted to be picky, I would suggest an extra note for recycling the foil wrappers, but I'll be thankful for small mercies that things are moving in right direction.

And Thorntons aren't the only ones at it. It seems Nestle have been making an effort too, proudly announcing their kids' selection box now uses 40% less packaging than previous products and boasts clear instructions to recycle the plastic tray, which itself is made from 50% recycled PET (RPET) and 75% recycled board.


Yes I know it's cheaper and a more sensible zero waste option to pick your own selection and package them up yourself, but millions of people buy these things and even I remember the excitement over that special box at Christmas, so this feels like positive progress too.

But we can't forget that all these positive noises about recycling come at a time when the market for recyclables has taken a nose-dive. The good news is that WRAP has just launched a help service for local authorities that have concerns about their mounting piles of materials and their advice to the public is to keep recycling what packaging you can. I suppose these resources are just like stocks and shares. What's down one day is up the next and markets are still available for quality products, just as these chocolate boxes illustrate. Now that should inspire consumer confidence.

And talking about quality products...it's time to get back to that box of chocolates. Well this is The Rubbish Diet after all...but at least you know I'll be responsible with the empty box.

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