MP visits Doncaster food firm to see world class recycling system

She was also shown crates of plastic trays which Wiltshire Farm Foods has collected from customers, and which under its trailblazing closed-loop recycling programme are sent for recycling into completely new trays.

Wiltshire Farm Foods’ recycling operation includes collecting washed, used, trays directly from customers and sending them back to a specialist recycling facility in Durham to create brand new trays for its meals, containing a minimum of 80% recycled plastic.

This commitment to protecting the environment is of utmost importance to the company, especially with its packaging. It’s one of the few food companies which doesn’t use any secondary packaging such as cardboard sleeves on its meals, not wanting to create needless waste. Furthermore, the boxes that meals are delivered in, are reused multiple times by drivers before being recycled.

With a customer base that averages 82 years of age, and which is passionate to reduce waste and support environmental improvements, Wiltshire Farm Foods is proud of the scheme that currently represents higher collection and recycling rates than kerbside collection.

Lee Sheppard, Director of Policy, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability for Wiltshire Farm Foods, said: “Our closed-loop recycling scheme demonstrates the serious approach we’ve taken to reducing waste within our packaging. It’s why we’ve never used cardboard sleeves for our meals, so the only thing we leave with the customer is the film lid.

“In just over one year of operation, we have successfully collected over ten million meal trays back from our customers and are seeing collection rates close to 50%, with a 100% guarantee that all of the trays collected are reformed into new trays.”

Dame Rosie was impressed with the environmental efforts Wiltshire Farm Foods had made, saying: “It is great to see a food company making big investments in future-looking systems to support their environmental impact.

“Wiltshire Farm Foods is in a unique situation with conscientious regular customers washing the food trays and returning them directly on the doorstep to delivery staff when they arrive with a fresh order. It’s clear that its customers enjoy being involved in the process.”

Wiltshire Farm Foods delivers its high-quality, award-winning, prepared meals to more than 150,000 customers nationwide with an estimated 8,700 people over 75 living in the Doncaster Central constituency.

Customers can choose from a range of delicious traditional favourite mail meals and popular desserts and lighter snacks as well as meals with extra dense calories for those with small appetites.