To be annoyed at Tesco meal deal sandwiches?

[Sweetforthesummer]

New to mumsnet so if I get things wrong in this post please excuse me.

Anyway, the other day I got myself and the DC a tesco meal deal for lunch.

I had to get back to doing some jobs so I left the DC to finish their sandwiches.

I came back to check on them about 20 minutes later and found torn paper from the sandwich wrapper all over the kitchen table.

I asked DC1 what on earth was going on and they explained to me that they had to peel off the plastic to recycle the card. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

We cleaned up the card in the end and recycled it but AIBU to think that working, busy people aren't going to go to that much effort to recycle some paper?

Went back to tesco today to get some more and they claim to be fully recyclable on the packaging.

Yeah right! Obviously I'm still going to use them so just a rant really.

Yabu. Unless it's greasy then you can't recycle it.

^This.

5 replies and 10 minutes later and you decide to flounce because people aren’t agreeing with you?

Anyway, it’s a lot of drama over nothing. Don’t buy prepacked sandwiches if you are that bothered.

It's very easy to peel the plastic away from the card. I don't understand the problem? The PP who commented not to bother and just to put it in the bin makes me feel that the whole climate change issue is a lost battle when large companies have made an effort to make their packaging more sustainable and people still put it in the landfill.

I asked DC1 what on earth was going on 🙄

Everything OK there?

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

By the time you went to tesco and bought meal deal you probably could have made sandwiches at home, fresh, for about a tenth of the cost!! And nothing to recycle!!

I would love to be able to recycle. Unfortunately living in a block of flats we have communal bins and the recycling ones constantly get contaminated with non recycling so end up going to landfill.
I've spoken to the council etc but unfortunately I can't have any control or responsibility over the other 34 flats and their residents to use the bins correctly.
So I pick my battles and worries - in other words if I am eating a sandwich at home I make it at home. Not making regular trips to Tesco to buy pre packaged ones. Stop buying pre packed sarnies to eat at home 🙄

to be fair, people tend to buy meal deal sandwiches when they are out and about and most will put the packaging in the general bin, rather than take it home or to a place where they can recycle.
Whilst I appreciate the diligence of OP's children, not buying pre-packaged sandwiches is better for the environment than buying them. Especially if you are going to eat them in your own kitchen.

If the plastic film is cellophane you can just put it in the recycling; unless its greasy and has food smeared in it in which case you put it in the non recyclable bin. Cellophane can also be safely composted.

This

I don't really see the issue with having to tear off the film but I agree with PPs that cardboard sandwich wrappers are rarely suitable for recycling because they usually have grease/food on them. If there is enough salvageable cardboard on food containers like pizza boxes or sandwich wrappers, I just tear off the clean bit. It only takes a few seconds.

I sometimes wonder whether plastic packaging that can be rinsed and recycled might actually be more environmentally friendly.

I thought it wasn’t recycling because it’s waxed paper?

Jfc, who gives a fuck?

About recycling vs landfill? Lots of people.

But that's what you do with any packaging that has the clear "window" to see the product eg quiche etc. Takes approx 2 seconds to rip it off. It's taken you longer to complain here than it would to tear it off. Some people just don't recycle, anyone that does would take the seconds to do this, much like it takes seconds to put the different items into different bins (we have 3 bins now).

I get you OP. The plastic is fully on one side and the card fully on the other. It's not like a window you can cut out.

I've tried to peel the plastic layer off and all it does is shred the cardboard. Not satisfying at all and I'm a keen picker/peeler!

Agree.

And if you could get them through the next step of actually putting their rubbish into the bin you'll be into a complete winner OP

Ok a whole essay just to say that.

Exactly. The only reason companies are even trying on environmental issues is because of customer pressure.

Making a complaint about non-recyclable "recyclable" is boring life admin none of us have the time for. But it's because of people like the OP who are making a fuss about it anyway that any change will come.

Just imagine how many hundreds of thousands of meal deal sandwiches are sold every day. Imagine all that packaging festering in landfill for god knows how many decades.

The small things matter, mainly because when you look closely, they aren't small at all.

I find the exact opposite, I’m 50 It was drummed into us as kids to pick up litter/ recycle etc, the younger generation seem to think that they are exempt due to busy lives & juggling young families and that someone else will do it for them. I asked my friends 25 yo DD to pick up the picnic litter she & her DCs had left in a bag at a local beauty spot, she just rolled her eyes and said “you sound just like mum, I’m not going to ask my DCs to pick up litter” I picked it up and put it the bin provided took me about 15 seconds

Many “busy working people” make their own sandwiches. I don’t know why you think you’re being an environmental hero for separating the card from the plastic when some people never even buy pre-packed sandwiches in the first place.

Good to hear that your children are taking recycling issues seriously.

It perplexes me why companies still insist on doing this when there are so many viable alternatives.

As to the snidey comments on here, OP, take no notice. Some posters , of late, are letting the heat get to them. Quite a few threads have gone snippety-snipey of late.

what a drama over nothing