Fruits sold in transparent boxes, disposable cutlery sold as “reusable” … Summoned to gradually do without plastic, supermarkets are not lacking in subterfuge to get around the obstacle.
“Plastic, It’s Fantastic !”, sang Elmer Food Beat in 1990. Three decades later, the chorus still resonates in the minds of certain manufacturers … From this Saturday, new provisions of the anti-waste law will come into force. On the program: the ban on plastic overwrapping of fresh fruits and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kilograms, plastic toys in fast food restaurants and non-biodegradable plastic tea bags.
A breakthrough could we rejoice. However for Olivier Chollet, coordinator of the Plastic Attack association, “Not only are there still aberrations, but in addition the plastic lobby and manufacturers will seek to circumvent the law, find the loopholes as they systematically do”. Overview of their finest deceptions and aberrations, some of which are still in force.
Disposable tableware sold as “reusable”
Five years. This is the time that manufacturers have had to prepare for the ban on plastic glasses, cutlery and plates. The 2015 energy transition law, followed by the anti-waste law, required them to replace the disliked material with other biobased and compostable materials. But instead, some have scrambled to find a way around the regulations.
One of the subterfuges imagined was to increase the weight of plastic so that this crockery breaks less and is no longer considered “disposable” but “reusable”. It’s very grotesque, but it has passed: for several months, brands such as Carrefour, Franprix or Leader Price sold these plastic objects which could only be reused by name, sometimes in packs of 100. Fortunately consumers have realized this. The Zero Waste association looked into the case and all these cutlery have since been withdrawn from sale in supermarkets.
Peeled fruit then sold in plastic
Peeling a banana, peeling an orange: it requires such a considerable effort that some brands offer to do it for us! And to place the fruit, removed from its natural protection, in a new… artificial shell. A good big plastic box, not recyclable what is more. This insane practice was spotted and then denounced in 2012 in Austria, where the supermarket brand Billa sold pre-peeled bananas vacuum-packed, then in 2016 in the United Kingdom.
The practice is also common in France. You can find some pre-cut fruits or vegetables that are grated without being seasoned at many distributors. An ecological aberration which moreover escapes the new legislation since the new provisions of the anti-waste law only concern “unprocessed” fruits and vegetables. However, it may be objected that these prepared products may have some usefulness, for people with disabilities for example.
The elastic around the bunches of radishes
He too is exempt from the measures that come into force on Saturday. The elastic that we find around the bunches of radishes, but also of carrots or aromatic herbs is mainly rubber, but it contains a part of plastic. However, he obtained a dispensation, because according to the producers there is no natural alternative as effective and as water resistant as the rubber band. Olivier Chollet of Plastic Attack defeats this idea in breach: “You can tie bunches of radishes very well with something other than plastic. Twine, raffia: that’s what has always been done before plastic arrived in the sector. ” And long live progress!
Cardboard pasta packages … with a plastic window
It is a homily that we often hear coming out of the mouths of manufacturers, the consumer would like to “see the product he is buying”. This may make sense with some perishables. Meat for example. But for pasta, is it really necessary? You have to believe that in the minds of some producers, yes. If the Palme of the packaging goes to those who wrap them in non-recyclable plastic, we still have to award an Honorary Award to Barilla who integrates a plastic window into its cardboard box allowing the contents to be seen. Which, of course, is not recyclable, and which should be removed before sorting. What of course, no one thinks of doing, since it is not indicated on the box. Magic of packaging.
Plastic bags not so biodegradable
The 2015 energy transition law ban on plastic checkout bags has spurred the development of those made from bio-based and compostable materials such as corn or potato starch. These are the ones that are sometimes found on the fruit and vegetable shelves of supermarkets. A good alternative, one might think, but Olivier Chollet of Plastic Attack notes that they only contain 30 to 40% of compostable materials. “The rest is plastic. If they are compostable, it is only in industrial composting. So in a recycling center where the temperatures are rising very high ”, explains the one who advocates the use of fabric bags to store his fruits and vegetables.