Dive Brief:

• U.K. retail giant Tesco is in a mess over its use of food delivery trucks to dispose of general garbage from its largest 600 supermarkets.
• The cost-saving measure is the result of the retailer's decision to stop using waste contractors to pick up the trash, bags of which are placed in wheeled metal cages with plastic lining and disposed of by trucks that pick up and deliver food to stores following the waste drop-off.
• The system doesn't include vans that make home deliveries, and a Tesco spokeswoman claims the practice is also more environmentally friendly, as it reportedly cuts 20,000 trips a year and lowers carbon emissions by 4.5 tonnes annually.

Dive Insight:

Tesco claims that this process poses no threat to food hygiene, though the Guardian reports that notices at the retailer's recycling center give the impression that only about 25% of its delivery fleet is washed or sanitized each week. The plastic lining is also allegedly prone to damage, raising the likelihood of leakage issues in the trucks. The country's Food Standards Agency requires all food transportation vehicles to be kept sanitary to avoid problems, so this system is likely to raise further investigation.