One of Australia's largest producers of sweet corn and beans has reduced plastic packaging on its produce by 80 per cent, saving hundreds of thousands of disposable plastic trays from entering Australian rubbish each month.
After five years of experimentation, Trandos Farms managing director Jim Trandos said he had found a way to tightly wrap pre-packed corn using a method which did not require plastic trays.
"We had to get these trays custom made for various supermarkets. We get them out of Asia, they come in sea containers. I had to order them six months ahead," he said.
"In some cases we pack the product [in trays], and send it back to Asia."
Trandos Farms grow corn year-round at their properties near Gingin and Broome and are the main supplier of beans and sweet corn to major supermarkets in Western Australia, as well as exporting to several overseas markets.
"We'd end up with a shed full of plastic that ends up in the bin or the recycling bin and it's just annoyed me for years," Mr Trandos said.
While some produce such as cucumber is wrapped in plastic to extend its shelf life, other companies are also looking to reduce plastic use where possible.
Queensland avocado grower Simpson Farms recently moved from using a plastic tray to a biodegradable tray, and is experimenting with a biodegradable sticker.
Why wrap corn in plastic at all?
About half of the corn the Trandos family sell is pre-packed where it is cut into cobs, peeled, and packed into plastic.
"It's just what consumers want unfortunately. Something with a bar code. It's already partially prepared," Mr Trandos said.
"Me, personally, I like to use the whole corn and I would encourage everybody to do that. But the consumer for some reason wants something with a barcode.
"Consumers are in a hurry, they see the product, there's three or four of them, that's what they're happy with and away they go."
Mr Trandos said he had purchased a machine to wrap the corn and the process could potentially be used for other hardy lines of fruit and vegetables.
"It's annoyed me for years, but I wanted to make sure we were using the right technology to do the right thing by the product because merchandising is very important, the way it looks on the shelf," he said.
"It's a significant cost saving because we don't have to outlay money for the trays and wait six months for it to come in."
Supermarkets pledge to reduce plastic where possible
Coles and Woolworths have responded to consumer concerns regarding the amount of plastic used in packaging fresh fruit and vegetables.
In a statement, Coles said by 2020 it would make packaging for all products recyclable at kerbside or in store.
"A wide range of meat and poultry packaging will be 100 per cent recyclable and made from recycled material," the statement said.
"We understand the importance of appropriate packaging in maintaining food safety, supporting product longevity, and reducing food waste.
"At the same time, Coles is committed to making our packaging more sustainable."
Woolworths has also introduced soft plastic recycling facilities in its stores and cut down on packaging.
"Over the last 18 months we have removed 535 tonnes of unnecessary plastic packaging across our produce and bakery categories," a statement said.
