Tesco is officially not only the biggest supermarket in the UK, but the biggest retailer with £1 in every £8 spent in the UK being spent at this superstore. Unsurprisingly Tesco is not usually praised for its Treehugger qualities, so it is especially encouraging to hear in the season of goodwill about this corporate giant’s enthusiasm for reducing landfill and protecting British woodland. The Christmas Card Recycling Scheme encourages people to drop off their cards at the supermarket in January, instead of throwing them in the bin. In January 2004 they collected and recycled 45 million cards, this year they collected 58 million, which is 1150 tonnes of rubbish. For January 2006 they are aiming for 60 million! All credit cannot however be given to Tesco, as the Christmas Card Recycling scheme is actually the great idea of The Woodland Trust who have had the smarts to team up with big guns such as Tesco and the countrywide stationers WHSmith. This idea of small environmental groups teaming up with big businesses is proving to be a particularly effective way of bringing environmental issues into the public consciousness. (see article on green envelopes) Penny Pulfrey, senior account manager for the Woodland Trust explained: "We think that the Christmas Card Recycling Scheme is well on its way to becoming an established annual recycling initiative. However, the really crucial part is the support we receive from the public. Without them recycling their cards, the valuable support generated by the scheme for the UK's woodland, plus the reduction in waste going to landfill as a result of cards being recycled, would not be possible. So, our message to people is please don't forget to recycle your cards. You have until 1 February to help us make this year's scheme an even bigger success than last year's."
::Christmas Card Recycling Scheme
[Leonora & Petz]

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