In an effort to spearhead packaging waste, Taco Bell is asking its customers to consider keeping their used hot sauce packets and mailing them back to the company as part of a nationwide pilot program aimed at finding a possible “industry-wide solution for recycling…single-use food packaging.”
Taco Bell has teamed up with TerraCycle, a waste management firm that will clean, melt and remold the non-recyclable packets and then recreate material that’s recyclable. By making this transformation, the packets won’t find themselves in a landfill. “We’re excited that TerraCycle has provided a way for us to extend the life cycle of our iconic sauce packets as we reevaluate the rest of our packaging suite,” said Missy Schaaphok, Taco Bell’s Director of Global Nutrition and Sustainability.
If you’re like me and love Taco Bell, the chances of you having a stash of leftover sauce packets somewhere in your home is high, as we all want to be sure that if there’s an instance down the road (heaven forbid) where our bag comes home without any sauce, we have a safety net. Well, us ‘TB’ lovers can pitch in on the effort by collecting empty sauce packets in a box or other recyclable container. We’ll also need to create a free TerraCycle account. Once that container is full of empty packets, log in to your account, download and print a free shipping label. Once all of that is done, your package is ready to ship back!
“This unique recycling program not only highlights the forward-thinking nature of Taco Bell, but also marks a huge step forward for the quick-serve industry on its journey towards more sustainable business practices,” said CEO of TerraCycle Tom Szaky.