UK-based retailer The Co-operative Food has introduced recyclable packaging for its own-brand onion range in a bid to step up its efforts to divert the majority of its operational waste from landfill.

According to the retailer, producing the bags from polythene is set to help its food business recycle an additional 32t of packaging annually and provides an environmentally responsible way of disposing of the packaging.

The change allows the onion packs to feature the On-Pack Recycling Label - an industry standard which has been designed to help retailers reduce waste, backed by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and government organization Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

In 2011, The Co-operative recycled more than 2,921t of polythene including plastic collected from recycling points at more than 1,000 of the retailer's larger stores, and converted it into bin bags and bags for life.

The Co-operative Food environment manager Iain Ferguson said the company is leading the way in providing customers with recyclable packaging.

"We know our customers are keen to protect the environment and, in addition, we are also working to label all our recyclable product lines to make it as easy as possible for our customers to recycle," Ferguson added.