Tesco has announced that it will launch a reverse vending machine trial in the UK, which will give money to consumers who deposit plastic bottles in an effort to encourage consumers to recycle their plastic bottles.
The trial will initially take place at selected Tesco stores in Borehamwood, Swansea, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham from 27 September and machines at all stores will pay 10p for each bottle returned.
The initial trial will allow consumers to deposit a maximum of 10 bottles per customer, per day and bottles up to 750ml in size can be deposited.
Fellow UK retailer Iceland introduced a similar scheme earlier this year, following a proposal from the UK government which suggested it would introduce a bottle and can deposit-return scheme in the near future, in order to cut down the levels of plastic waste in the country.
Figures provided by Tesco claim that nearly three-quarters of Britons “would be likely” to return plastic bottles and aluminium cans under a reverse vending scheme.
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK and ROI CEO said: “We are already committed to eliminating single-use plastic wherever we can and make recycling simpler for customers. Today is another step in that direction
“However, we know that it is going to take retailers, manufacturers and government to work together to make progress.
“We would urge the government to move to a single, nationwide approach to waste collection that makes it much easier for people to recycle.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024
