Egg-stra packaging gone

Apr 17 2009 by Alan Shaw

I HOPE you had a good Easter last week and managed not to overdo it with the chocolate eggs.

There have been many times in the past where, a few days after Easter, I could be found sitting in the corner amongst half a ton of packaging, chocolate covering my face, holding my stomach and groaning.

Not these days though. Nope, in fact this year there was only a fraction of the packaging.

I know there has been a lot of campaigning about the amount of excess packaging used in more or less everything we buy, but it does seem that the Easter egg manufacturers have taken heed.

Do you remember the days when you would open the box, have to remove the secondary lid inside, struggle to get the plastic egg-holder out (it was usually jammed in by another bit of card), and then have to rip through another compartment at the bottom to get to the packet of sweets or chocolate bar?

Now, instead of it being like a puzzle worthy of Mr Rubik himself, you can go from fully boxed to stuffing your face in less than 10 seconds. Bizarrely, more of a fuss had been made over the amount of waste than there ever had been about the amount of chocolate we munch our way through.

Here’s a thought though. Wouldn’t it have cost the makers less now that they’re not using as much plastic and card? Why were the eggs the same price then?

Still, at least the people who made all the plastic parts aren’t losing out on any work – I think I found who they are selling it to now. I was in a shop recently and saw some fruit – yes, apples, bananas and oranges, which have their own skin anyway – for sale in moulded plastic containers!

So, considering how much of that I’ll need to eat after overdoing the chocolate last week, it looks like I could end up sitting amongst half a ton of packaging after all.

Remember to check out www.westfm.co.uk this week for your chance to enter our great competition with Auchrannie Spa Resort on Arran. You could win yourself a great family break for four, which will include a two-night stay, dinner in one of their three restaurants, and two express treatments. You can only enter online, and you’ve got until the end of this week to enter.

I’ll talk to you on the 96.7 West FM Breakfast Show, Monday to Friday from 6am.