riverford veg

Riverford will switch to compostable plastics for use on produce such as salad, spinach and herbs, where plastic is essential to longevity

Organic produce delivery service Riverford Organic Farmers has committed to ditching single-use plastic in its vegetable boxes by 2020.

Though the company claims to use 77% less plastic than comparable supermarket organic produce, it has committed to go even further.

Riverford has this week pledged to switch to compostable plastics that break down within 12 weeks for use on produce such as salad, spinach and herbs, where plastic is essential to longevity.

Its compostable plastic is still in development, but would be made with cellulose and starch-based materials designed to compost at low temperatures if littered, said Riverford.

It is also set to implement a returns model, meaning consumers without the facilities to compost the packaging at home will be able to return it to the company, which will compost it on farm and use the result to grow more crops.

The move was borne of frustration at the variation in recycling policies between local authorities, said founder Guy Singh-Watson.

“It is impossible for citizens or companies to instigate good packaging practices while every local authority has a different approach to kerbside collection,” he said. “We desperately need an intelligent, long-term, national policy on what materials will be recycled, composted and incinerated or landfilled.”

There was currently a policy “vacuum” over plastic recycling, he added. Abandoning the policy to individual choices and market forces was “an abdication of responsibility and a failure of government”, he said.