Litter pickers bag 34-year-old crisp packet

The packet had survived for four decades before being discovered

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust Empty packet of Walkers Ready Salted crisps with dirt inside and outside — The packet had survived for four decades before being discovered

It was a snack to the future moment for litter pickers at a nature reserve when they unearthed a well-seasoned crisp packet.

While the contents of the crumpled Walkers ready salted bag were no longer holding their crunch, the wrapper had preserved well in the wild – for 34 years.

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust came across the empty packet, dating back to 1990, during a clear-up at Loughborough’s Big Meadow.

Sharing the discovery on social media, the trust commented on how much progress had been made by the Leicester-based crisp manufacturer on sustainability in the decades since.

The trust said it was pleasing that Walkers had improved its sustainable practices

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust Yellow packet of Walkers Ready Salted crisps with mud and dirt visible — The trust said it was pleasing that Walkers had improved its sustainable practices

“Remember to take litter home with you, don’t leave it for the wildlife,” the trust added.

The discovery is not the first example of litter pickers stumbling across decades-old packets of crisps.

A 50-year-old packet of Quavers was found in a back garden in Poole, Dorset, in May, and a packet of Smiths crisps from 1977, featuring a Kevin Keegan promotion, was found on a Cornish beach in 2023.

Walkers is now owned by PepsiCo, and a spokesperson from the company said in May: “We recognise that litter is a huge problem, and we want to play a role in addressing this challenge.

“That’s why we’ve been supporting the Great British Spring Clean for the past six years, with our teams joining efforts to clean up local communities.

“We’re also continuing to invest heavily to make our packaging more easily recyclable, as well as reducing the plastic packaging we use.”

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