BuzzBallz are ‘greenwashing’, say recyclers

BuzzBallz was founded by teacher Merrill Kick but was acquired by Sazerac in 2024, whose CEO is Jack Wentz.

After the BBC contacted the company about this story, BuzzBallz’s UK mission statement, which stated that “we love our earth a good cocktail” and partnered with TerraCycle to recycle the packaging, was withdrawn.

However, TerraCycle, which involves consumers collecting packaging and sending it off for recycling, only operates the BuzzBallz scheme in the United States.

The BuzzBallz UK FAQs, now defunct, state: “Yes, our packaging is recyclable. Please recycle your empties where local facilities allow.”

But none of the local facilities in the UK allow Buzzballs to be recycled, says Adam Herriot, head of packaging at WRAP.

“They are a mixture of two materials that can be combined together and reused.

“No local authorities will accept these at the kerbside.

“If they end up in the sorting area, they can contaminate the plastic stream because of the metals in there, and that can be a huge problem for plastic recyclers going through the machinery.”

But why do people care if their drink packaging is not reusable?