Migros eliminates plastic disposable cutlery
All plastic disposable cutlery will disappear from all Migros stores by the end of the year. Alternatives available to customers include reusable cutlery and - now subject to a charge - more sustainable disposable cutlery based on wood and bamboo. Thanks to this change, Migros is able to avoid 17 tons of plastic material every year.
From November 1, Migros will be dispensing with disposable plastic cutlery in supermarkets throughout Switzerland. This affects both immediate consumption products, such as ready-to-eat salads from "Anna's Best" with enclosed cutlery, and the plastic cutlery available separately at checkouts.
To ensure that customers continue to have quick and easy access to cutlery for their instant consumption products, Migros is replacing plastic disposable cutlery with more sustainable disposable cutlery. For example, a set of wooden forks and knives will now be available, as well as a "spork" made of bamboo. In addition, the existing range of reusable chrome steel cutlery will be displayed more prominently at points of sale.
The disposable cutlery is now subject to a charge and available for 10 centimes at the points of sale. The replacement of the plastic cutlery with the new wooden bamboo cutlery will take place gradually until the end of 2022 so that the plastic cutlery is used up and does not have to be disposed of unnecessarily.
17 tons less plastic per year
By voluntarily eliminating the enclosed plastic cutlery, Migros is taking another step to optimize packaging. Thanks to the switch from plastic to wooden bamboo disposable cutlery and the associated packaging adjustments, seventeen tons of plastic are to be saved annually, according to a press release. Migros already removed all disposable plastic tableware from the shelves of all its stores almost two years ago and replaced it with products made of cardboard, wood, palm leaves or bioplastics.
