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In the last few weeks alone there have been major product recalls by firms including Coca-Cola, Marks & Spencer and Heineken, showing how prevalent the issue is and the numerous areas of the supply chain it can affect.

As a result, recyclers BusinessWaste.co.uk have shared advice with Convenience Store on handling product recalls.

Why do recalls happen?

Product recalls happen for several reasons, from consumer safety risks to labelling and packaging errors. In 2024, 355 product recalls were reported – practically one every day - with the cost of these likely to go into millions of pounds.

Data from the Research Quality Association shows that allergen-related labelling errors were the most common reason last year, and were responsible for 23% of all recall events, followed by Listeria at 10%.

What happens to products that get recalled?

When stock is no longer required it can quickly become waste. Stock and product destruction is simply the process of removing these from a business and destroying them, so they no longer end up in circulation.

The type of products and materials they’re made of can affect how they’re destroyed or recycled. In many cases of product recall, businesses may require documentation or other evidence that the waste stock has been properly disposed of.

When disposing of these items through trusted stock disposal services the company receives a Certificate of Destruction that demonstrates the products were destroyed and a Waste Transfer Note. These are legal proof of secure disposal of stock waste and provide peace of mind that it’s being dealt with responsibly.

What are my options?

Sending recalled products to landfill should always be a last resort, and it’s best to explore other sustainable disposal methods first.

Stores should look to recycle and recover any materials from recalled products. For example, any packaging materials such as paper, plastic, glass, and metals can be recycled to recover and reuse the materials.

Composting is a good option for food products. Any unsellable food products should decompose naturally at industrial composting facilities and be turned into useful products like soil, fertiliser or even biofuels.

Lastly, if the above isn’t an option, waste can be incinerated at energy-from-waste plants. This generates electricity while diverting products away from landfill.

 

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Mark Hall (left), waste management expert at Business Waste, explains a little more, exclusively to Convenience Store.

“Most commonly, recalls in the convenience sector will be food products. In addition to the causes mentioned earlier, other common reasons for a recall include foreign objects, undeclared alcohol content, spoilage issues and improper storage.

“Outside of food products specifically, convenience store owners may see recalls on products like vape and tobacco products, cleaning products, or health and beauty items depending on what’s stocked.

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why product recalls are on the rise - it could be that improved monitoring and detection systems have resulted in higher reported numbers. The rise could also be attributed to complex supply chains offering more opportunities for issues with products and packaging to arise.

“While the need to notify consumers of product recalls is paramount to effectively retrieving stock, this also brings attention to your business. Product recalls, while common, can be damaging to your reputation, so it’s important to show you have handled the situation in the most responsible manner possible.

“This year alone we’ve seen some large product recalls already with Coca-Cola recalling a range of products due to potential high chlorate levels. Alongside this, Newcastle Brown Ale had to issue a recall due to a potential safety issue with their glass bottles.

“Historically, the biggest incident that springs to mind is the horse meat scandal in 2013. Foods across the European Union that were labelled as being beef products were found to contain horse meat, sometimes as high as 100% of the content. The recall was a huge controversy affecting 16 different countries and revealed how product recalls can have a huge impact on customer confidence.

“It’s a common myth that recycling is more expensive than other waste disposal methods. Often recycling can be cheaper for businesses. Recycling is not only better for the environment but can be cheaper as you won’t have to pay landfill tax for its disposal. You may also be eligible for recycling rebates depending on the material.

“By analysing your individual needs you may be able to save on recycling. For example, some small businesses may use large bins for storage and arrange collection on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Or if space is limited, rely on smaller bins with more frequent collections. Large businesses with space for balers and compactors often use them as a cost-effective recycling option as well.”

For more information visit the dedicated page.

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In related news, this week the Environment Agency is calling on industry and the public alike to take part in its third National Waste Crime Survey, to gain a greater understanding of waste crime across England.

The aim is to better tackle waste crime and make management safer and more efficient, as well as cracking down on criminality.

The Environment Agency uses the insight that industry and the public provides through the survey to measure the perceived scale and impact of waste crime in England, understand deterrents that could prevent people from committing waste crime and to assess the effectiveness of action taken by it and its partners to reduce waste crime.

Steve Molyneux, deputy director of waste and resources regulation at the Environment Agency, said: “With an estimated 18% of waste illegally managed we know that activities like illegal waste burning and shipping and mis-describing it cost the economy £1 billion a year.

“Our survey is crucial for understanding the scale of these crimes and gathering insights from those directly affected. I encourage everyone impacted by waste crime to take part.

The survey is open for three weeks and can be accessed here.