A sauce packet from a fast-food restaurant might seem like the ultimate throwaway item. But Taco Bell is telling its customers to hold on to those packets, so they can be recycled and reused. Hot, mild, diablo — whatever sauce they contain, more than 8 billion of the packets wind up in landfills each year, the company says.
Why does Taco Bell want you to recycle your sauce packets?
Now, the fast food chain wants customers to send them in so they can be recycled into other products. Taco Bell wants customers to collect its sauce packets so they can be turned into other products rather than sent to the landfill.
When will Taco Bell Packaging be compostable?
Taco Bell is hoping that by 2024, packaging used by its customers will be fully "recyclable, compostable, or reusable" across all of its 7,000 global locations. It's using this pilot program to shape its future recycling efforts.
What's up with Taco Bell's packets?
That's soon changing: The fast food chain is partnering with recycling company TerraCycle to give its packets a "spicier second life that doesn't involve a landfill," Taco Bell said in a press release.
What is TerraCycle and how does it affect Taco Bell?
Taco Bell is one of the first food brands to use TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based company that helps big businesses become greener. It has worked with Procter & Gamble ( PG), Unilever ( UL) and Nestlé to help manufacture reusable packaging in place of single-use packages that end up in landfills.
Can Taco Bell sauce packets be recycled?
A sauce packet from a fast-food restaurant might seem like the ultimate throwaway item. But Taco Bell is telling its customers to hold on to those packets, so they can be recycled and reused.
Are hot sauce packets recyclable?
Unfortunately, those little plastic sachets are currently single-use and not recyclable, which means they end up in landfills. In fact, the fast-food industry as a whole doesn't have a good solution for recycling condiment packets, which are made of flexible film packaging.
Are Taco Bell taco wrappers recyclable?
Back in 2015, we purposefully transitioned from plastic bags to paper bags. Our bags are made from 100% recyclable and sustainable raw material sources and are 100% sourced in the United States. Besides the fact that our sauce packet flavors taste amazing, each sauce packet has its own personality.
What can I do with leftover Taco Bell packets?
How to Recycle Taco Bell Sauce PacketsSign up for a TerraCycle account.Collect your empty sauce packets within a cardboard box or another recyclable container. ... Once your collection box is full, log into your TerraCycle account to download and print your shipping label.Ship your box via UPS.
Why is Taco Bell recycling sauce packets?
(September 9, 2021) - Taco Bell is launching a nationwide pilot program with TerraCycle® to divert as many used sauce packets as possible away from landfills and give them new life, following an initial trial earlier this year.
What are Taco Bell sauce packets made out of?
Packaging: Taco Bell's hot sauce packets are made from a polyethylene (PE) and metallized aluminum structure. The hot sauce packets have a netweight of ~ 6 grams/0.2 ounce; Breakfast Salsa packets that will also be recycled are ~ 14 grams/0.5 ounce. 2.
Is Taco Bell packaging compostable?
Make all of our customer-facing packaging recyclable, compostable, or reusable. Remove PFAS, Phthalates and BPA from all of our customer-facing packaging.
Are fast food wrappers compostable?
However, boxes or food-service products such as wrappers or bags that are lined with polyethylene or with other synthetic grease-resistant compounds are not compostable and should not be included in food waste collection programs.
Does Taco Bell seal bags?
Large chains like Taco Bell and McDonalds have added tamper-resistant seals to delivery bags as has restaurant delivery company Waitr. BurgerFi, a better-for-you burger chain, released bags with a tamper-proof seal lining a few years ago.
Can ketchup packets be recycled?
The wrappings are almost always made of plastic. These small packets cannot be recycled and end up entirely in landfills. For a single hit of ketchup delight, greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming are generated at every stage of plastic packet production. And they take centuries to fully degrade.
How much sauce is wasted?
With a product like tomato ketchup, anywhere between 5 and 20% of the product is typically wasted because users can't extract it. And this isn't just a waste of the product, it is wasting plastic used to hold the liquid and the energy that is used to make it.
Does Taco Bell sell sauce packets?
Hot Sauce Packet | Order Online Today! Taco Bell®