Waitrose is launching a new pasta range with innovative new packaging that is made from food waste.

The two new gluten free fusilli pastas will go sale on 1 August with one made entirely from green peas and the other from red lentils. Rather than being discarded, any peas and pulses that don’t make the grade during the production process are instead used to help create the box in which the pasta comes.

The retailer said that this environmentally friendly packaging, made from 15% food waste, reduces the use of virgin tree pulp by 15% and lowers greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. The result is a box which can be in direct contact with the pasta, eliminating the need for an inner sleeve within the pack. The pasta box is also 100% recyclable.

Jo Heywood, Waitrose Pasta Buyer, said: “Pasta is such a staple product for many families, so it’s exciting to be offering our customers a pasta with a twist, both nutritionally and environmentally. We’re always looking at ways to cut down on our packaging, use more sustainable materials and reduce our food waste, so we’re pleased to be working towards all three of these targets with this new launch.”