Wow, wow and more wow..... Whoever would have believed that a compost bag could look quite so amazing, yet here in a tailor-made outfit, our
‘Pretty in Pink’ lady will be strutting her stuff at this years GLEE to promote recycling on behalf of UK supplier and compost manufacturer Durston Garden Products.  

Many of you will have watched David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II on TV and have been appalled at the devastating images you witnessed. Not only of the effect that plastic is having on our oceans around the world but in particular the effect it is having on marine wildlife and coral beds within those oceans; so what can we do to help?

At Durston Garden Products we truly believe that – every little bit, however small, can make a difference. That’s why at this years GLEE in addition to showcasing our New Identity and New Packaging, we will also be spreading the word about recycling and thought what better way to demonstrate that subject, than to use some of our old packaging to get the message across.

Like the majority of compost suppliers, Durstons are no exception when it comes using plastic sacks to package its compost, and whilst many of you might be forgiven for thinking ‘hang on a minute, they’re still using plastic sacks, yet here they are banging-on about recycling........what hypocrites’, we totally understand. However, it’s a dilemma that sadly many of us face within the industry until a more cost effective and realistic alternative can be found.

So, in the interim period, we, along with millions of other people and organisations around the world have decided to support Sir David Attenborough’s campaign, and do our bit to raise the profile of this desperate situation. At the end of the day, we’re all responsible for using the stuff, so now it’s up to us all to help as much as we can to assist in phasing-it-out.  Director and national sales manager, Dan Durston takes up the story.

“Having been truly moved by ‘Blue Planet II’, the management team here at Durstons made a conscious decision to investigate the way in which our plastic sacks were produced. In doing so, we also wanted to establish if there was anything we could do to make our bags more environmentally friendly, and this is what we discovered.   

There are essentially two different types of processes being used in the production of plastic packaging” continues Dan - laminated and non-laminated films. And whilst it may all seem extremely scientific it really is quite straightforward.  By using Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) films, which is classed as non-laminated then the plastic is rendered totally 100% recyclable and yet the majority of compost bags still being produced are made using laminated films rendering them non- recyclable.  This is something that I personally find totally unacceptable and on that note I urge retailers to consider the impact of the products they sell.”

That said, Durstons then decided that they needed to go a step further and to share this information with a wider audience, so earlier this year they started to print the information about the fact that their sacks wee 100% recyclable onto their bags. They also produced point-of-sale header boards for in-store use and had leaflets printed explaining why their packaging is different to others. “It’s all about spreading the word,” Dan continues.   

“So when you visit GLEE this year, make sure you look out for our ‘Pretty in Pink’ lady and be sure to stop and say hello. Ask her for one of our leaflets then go back to your organisation and think, ‘is there anything we too could do to assist in this campaign’. After all, its not only compost packaging that this relates to, it’s so much more. Like us, you may initially think, gosh is this really making any difference, it’s so small, but at the end of the day, it’s all the small things added together which often turn into something very BIG! “

Durston Garden Products are exhibiting this year at GLEE in Hall 8, Stand E21 and look forward to welcoming you onto their stand where the sales team will be delighted to talk you through the company’s extensive range of composts/growing media products as well as its NEW packaging and NEW identity.