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9 best plastic-free Easter eggs that are easy to recycle

As little as just a third of the entire weight of the product was only chocolate

Emma Henderson
Thursday 02 April 2020 18:03 BST
Enjoy more of the good stuff  using materials that are easier to reuse again
Enjoy more of the good stuff  using materials that are easier to reuse again

A shop-bought Easter egg is synonymous with a cardboard box and a huge plastic mould around the egg. And the bigger the egg, the more plastic it has.

Although, when customers started to question why the eggs came with so much packaging, brands defended the choice by saying it was for protection. But in reality, it is excessive use of single use plastic.

In 2018, it was reported that up to a third of the weight of some Easter eggs was just the packaging – both cardboard and plastic. Foil is of course recyclable, and is best done by cleaning it, if need be, and scrunching it in a ball, according to Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign for England.

This year, Asda announced that it is reducing 98 per cent of its plastic across its Extra Special Easter egg range – that’s equivalent to 16 tonnes.

Read more: Best Easter egg deals

It’s part of the supermarket’s commitment to “reduce, reuse and recycle” more, and hopes to make its own brand packaging 100 per cent recyclable before it’s target of 2025.

The brand has changed the shape of its eggs to better fit the cardboard box – which is recyclable – but hasn’t reduced the amount of chocolate, thank goodness, so it’s a win win for chocolate fans who want to be more eco.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

The verdict: Plastic-free Easter egg

The Asda extra special orange chocolate egg wins our best buy, not only for it’s great taste and design, but it’s also the best value and has the most chocolate – which is obviously key for all us chocoholics.

We also loved the Love Coca salted caramel egg, for it’s delicate, moreish flavour. Chocolader’s innovative packaging is the best we’ve seen, and we also loved it’s ingenious use of flavour.

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