The potato chip maker Pringles has improved its packaging. Pringles is well known its large, round, stacked crisps as well as its cylindrical container. However, the container has been criticised being bad for the environment. A lot the criticism was because the tube was almost impossible to recycle. The BBC news agency said the container was "a recycler's nightmare". It might have looked simple but it was made of multiple materials. It had a plastic cap, a metal base, an aluminium tear-off cover and a foil-lined cardboard tube. This all made it nearly impossible people to separate and recycle the container. The Recycling Association called it one the "villains" the recycling world.
Chiefs at Pringles went back to the drawing board to make the packaging easier to recycle. They spent 12 months designing a new tube. This move was part the company's promise to switch to 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging the year 2025. A company spokesman said: "We are eager to play our part and reduce our impact the planet. And Pringles fans expect that us too. So we've worked hard to come with this new can, which is widely recyclable and keeps our chips fresh and tasty and protects them from breaking – which helps to reduce food waste." However, the new design still has a plastic lid. The Recycling Association said this would just add to plastic pollution.
