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Ferrero Rocher shamed as Christmas chocolates with the least recyclable packaging

The only parts of the popular hazelnut treats' packaging which can be recycled are the paper cases and the gold plastic tray in which they sit - JULIAN SIMMONDS
The only parts of the popular hazelnut treats' packaging which can be recycled are the paper cases and the gold plastic tray in which they sit - JULIAN SIMMONDS

Ferrero Rocher has been named and shamed as the Christmas chocolate box with the least recyclable packaging. 

The vast majority (89 per cent) of the packaging in a 359g Ferrero Rocher Collection box may be destined for landfill as it is made from non-recyclable plastic and foil, a study by consumer group Which? found.

The only parts of the popular hazelnut treats' packaging which can be recycled are the paper cases and the gold plastic tray in which they sit, which make up the remaining 11 per cent. 

By contrast the most recyclable chocolate boxes were Waitrose Christmas Chocolate Favourites 240g which is 96.3 per cent recyclable) Cadbury's Milk Tray, which is 92.5 per cent easily recyclable. The second least recyclable packaging was for Marks & Spencer's The Big One Selection 600g, which is 71.4 per cent recyclable. 

In addition Which? analysed chocolate boxes for their packaging to chocolate weight ratio, and found boxes of Ferrero Rocher Collections had by far the highest. 

Nearly half of the weight of a 359g Ferrero Rocher Collection box is made up of packaging (42.4 per cent), with the rest constituting (67.6 per cent) the chocolates themselves, it found.  

The boxes with the highest proportion of chocolate weight were Marks & Spencer's The Big One Selection 600g (just 8.5 per cent packaging), and Lindt Lindor Assorted Mix 384g (just 11.5 per cent packaging), the study showed.  

A spokesman for Ferrero said: "The packaging we use is carefully designed to maintain the freshness and quality that is the hallmark of Ferrero products. Ferrero Collection is a delicately created product and the packaging is of fundamental importance to protect our chocolates from damage during transport, in the shops and at home.

"To maintain the integrity and upmost quality for our consumers we package the product in its distinctive box, appreciated by consumers.

"We are aware that some consumers like to reuse the boxes in fun and creative ways like those suggested on our website." 

Ferrero Rocher 
Monsieur, with these Rocher you are really adding to our landfill problem - the Which? study suggested

Nikki Stopford, director of research and publishing at Which?, said: “For many of us the indulgent look of these festive chocolate boxes is synonymous with the Christmas season.

“We are more aware than ever of the impact that we’re having on the world around us - so we want our research to help people to make the right choices for them and to understand how to dispose of packaging in the most eco-friendly manner.”

Meanwhile, Government data released on Tuesday showed levels of household rubbish being recycled in England have virtually stalled, making the UK unlikely to meet targets on recycling by 2020.

Some 45.2 per cent of household waste was recycled in 2017, up just 0.3 percentage points up on 2016's figures and rising only around 1 percentage point in five years.

The amount of "dry" materials such paper and card, glass, plastic and waste electrical and electronic equipment being recycled fell 2.1 per cent in 2017, while the collection of separate food waste increased by 8.7 per cent on the previous year.

The UK has a target under European Union rules to recycle at least 50 per cent of of waste generated by households by 2020. With English households accounting for more than four-fifths of the country's waste, the UK as a whole looks likely to miss the goal.