Tesco, the British supermarket chain, in an effort to encourage customers to recycle used plastic bottles, has started a trial run for in-store recycling machines at Borehamwood. The reverse vending machine will pay customers 10 pence for each plastic bottle returned.
Additionally, customers will soon be able to reuse their multi-use plastic containers to buy products like cheese, fish and meat at the UK stores. Instead of single use plastic, such products will be wrapped in recyclable paper and placed in the container.
Jason Tarry, Tesco CEO for UK and ROI has been reported to say that the company has already committed at eliminating single use plastic and making recycling simpler. He added that manufacturers, retailers and government have to work together to make a tangible progress. Tesco will be urging the government to undertake a nationwide approach to collect waste and to make it easier for people to recycle.
The trial will also be conducted at selected stores in Edinburgh Swansea, Birmingham and Manchester.
According to reliable sources, Tesco is following the course of action that has already been witnessed in Iceland Food, another British supermarket chain that launched a 6-month trial for reverse vending machines in Scotland, Wales and England. Coca-Cola has also undertaken a similar waste reduction initiative and placed reverse vending machines at theme parks until 19 October 2018.
As the plastic waste issue is garnering increased attention in the UK such concepts for plastic recycling have been gaining momentum in the country. The government is trying to decide on an effective means of return scheme for beverage containers. It is being speculated that a small extra charge will be paid via a reverse vending machine when plastic bottles and metal cans will be fed into it.
While the UK government will be levying an extra charge at point of sale, Tesco will not be charging customers while rewarding the 10 pence per plastic bottles to encourage more recycling of waste.
