Why putting crisp packs in mail boxes as an act of protest isn't as effective as you'd think
We all love a cheeky packet of salt and vinegar. But, what happens to the packaging once we've wolfed down those crisps?
In the case of Walkers crisps, the packaging can't be recycled, and activists have taken to posting the empty packets back to the manufacturer. But, the Post Office has intervened, urging campaigners not to post crisp packets into red pillar boxes.
Walkers Crisps sparked outrage in July by stating its packaging will be "recyclable, compostable or biodegradable" by 2025.
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Campaigners have been sharing images of themselves posting empty packets into postboxes using the hashtag #PacketInWalkers. The campaign was started by 38Degrees, a political-activism organisation. Per the campaign site, 5,086 people say they've posted packets.
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The problem is, when items are placed in post boxes without an envelope, they cannot be processed by machines, and therefore have to be sorted by hand, per the BBC. This means that the packets could cause delays to normal postal processing.
"We strongly encourage customers not to post anything into the postal system which is not properly packaged," a Royal Mail spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Mashable. "And if they are taking part in this campaign we would urge them to put crisp packets in an envelope before posting."
Better stock up on some envelopes, then!
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
