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Charities have written to the Prime Minister to demand the introduction of a new anti-waste law, or ‘Amazon law’, in the UK, as the online retailer has been forced to deny new claims it has. destroys expired groceries – as well as household items such as laptops and televisions.
Pictures and photographs of Amazon’s Dunfermline depot in Fife, taken by one of its employees, appear to show boxes of groceries, including crisps, canned goods and soft drinks, which are considered waste. They include products with intact packaging that have not passed their expiration date, according to information shared with The Times newspaper.
The U.S. retailer was already under scrutiny following ITV News’ secret investigation last month, which showed thousands of non-food items, including laptops, TVs and books, sorted similarly to Dunfermline. The secret filming in an area called the “destruction zone” showed computer equipment, power tools and even sealed masks placed in boxes labeled “destroy.”
“The amount of waste is staggering,” the whistleblower told The Times. “I think food banks and charities would gladly accept the mountain of stuff that Amazon throws away week after week. They could even distribute it among the staff. It is absurd and it makes no sense.
In response, Amazon said that “to suggest that we throw away perfectly good food or drink is wrong.”
“If we can give it, we give it,” a spokesperson said. “As our customers might expect, we do not donate food that poses a safety risk. This includes items that have passed their expiration date, may have been damaged or have been returned and we can no longer guarantee their safety or quality.
The company added that it has supported 23 food banks and charities in the UK and has so far donated 2.9 million food and drink items.
Greenpeace, which is launching an online petition calling for Amazon to stop destroying inventory and called the bill “Amazon law,” said the practice appeared to be an “built-in feature” of its business model. “This colossal waste may work well for Jeff Bezos who rakes in billions, but it leaves our planet poorer,” said John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace.
The letter, signed by representatives of six charities including Greenpeace, the Environmental Investigation Agency, Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Surfers Against Sewage, calls on the government to introduce new rules on what businesses can and cannot do with unsold items. or returned products.
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The UK has already passed EU laws that require manufacturers to make products easier to repair – the so-called ‘right to repair’ rules which took effect this month – but the letter urges the government to follow countries like France where an anti-waste law means that companies must donate unsold non-food items to charity, unless they pose a health or safety risk.
“Imposing an obligation on companies like Amazon to donate or reuse unsold products will not only reduce waste and spread the societal benefits of these products to one end of the supply chain,” the letter said. “It will also force companies to reconsider any business model based on making mountains of products destined to become waste before they are even used once.
“We strongly urge you to work with decentralized administrations to introduce new rules on what businesses can and cannot do with unsold or returned products.”
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