Like many of you who have a pet dog or cat, it seems that manufactureres are opting to supply their pet food in plastic/foil wrapped sachets.

Up to this point I had been simply placing these in my non-recycling bin which will in all probability have ended up in landfill. Having researched current studies on how the contents of landfill sites behave, the findings are very alarming and are, for the most part, being ignored.

These type of materials are in fact likely to last hundreds if not thousands of years, and as they eventually break down, the smaller particles will further pollute the environment and get into the food chain with inevitable negative effects.

According to PDSA, 26% of UK adults own at least one cat, giving an estimated population of 10.9 million cats. Presumably, as one of the main manufacturers of pet food (globally), I would guess that anything between 30 and 60% of these cats will be fed with exactly the product I buy for my cats. Therefore, it’s fairly safe to assume that the amount I have collected in just one month is being replicated throughout the land and all of it, ending up in landfill (or possibly incinerators - equally undesirable).

I am sure that you will agree, in a time when environmental concerns are uppermost, this choice of single use materials is unethical and unsustainable. I’m still not sure why tin cans are in such decline for this type of product - a completely recyclable option for every household.

In the meantime, I will continue to collect and ‘recycle’ these sachets back to their source - in this instance Purina (a Nestle sub brand), who make Felix cat food.

I sent the rinsed-out sachets back in the box they origially came in and the postal costs were £2.30. I think if every pet owner did like-wise ie inundating Perina with their own waste, they would perhaps take this issue seriously and provide something more enevironmentally friendly. One can hope.

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