Waitrose and Aldi are to stop selling disposable BBQs because of their impact on the natural environment and wildlife.
As the weather gets hotter, British people flock to the supermarket to buy the foil devices so they can sit in parks or gardens and sizzle sausages.
But many have raised environmental concerns, with national parks, including the New Forest, banning disposable barbecues because of the risk of wildfires. In addition, the devices usually contain charcoal, which is normally not sustainably sourced, leading to deforestation, as well as single-use plastic. They cannot be recycled or composted, meaning that for each one sold in the UK – where sales are estimated at more than a million each year – new waste is committed to landfill.
Aldi has stopped selling them, which will save approximately 35 tonnes of single-use waste packaging a year. Liz Fox, corporate responsibility director at Aldi UK, said: “We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and know that many of our shoppers are increasingly looking to do the same.
“We hope customers can embrace our latest move and still want them to enjoy their summer picnics and barbecues. As an alternative, we would encourage customers to opt for more environmentally friendly and sustainable options such as mini portable barbecues, ensuring they are used responsibly.”
All Waitrose stores will stop selling the disposable grills before summer. They estimate this will save about 70,000 disposable barbecues from being sold a year, saving 7.4 tonnes of foil and 1.1 tonnes of shrink-wrap plastic being produced a year.
Lucy Comer, buying assistant at Waitrose, said: “Disposable barbecues present a risk to our natural habitats and this is why we’ve committed to removing them from our shelves this year. This is the right thing to do to preserve our local ecosystems and another example of the work we’re doing to protect the planet. We applaud Aldi for standing with us to make this happen and we hope other retailers will follow.”
The government has welcomed the decision. Amanda Craig, director of people and nature at Natural England, said: “We welcome any step that helps people act more responsibly while enjoying the countryside, and encourage everyone to follow the countryside code when spending time outdoors. This includes only using barbecues in places where signs specify they are permitted, to better protect people, property and wildlife”.
• This article was amended on 10 March 2022. Waitrose estimates that not selling 70,000 disposable barbecues a year would save 7.4 tonnes of foil and 1.1 tonnes of shrink-wrap plastic being produced, not 73.5 and 11.2 tonnes respectively as an earlier version said due to information provided by the company.
