Iceland banks over one million plastic bottles in a year … Inews ‘Iceland says it has recycled more than one million plastic bottles since May 2018, when it installed reverse vending machines in five of its stores. The supermarket became the first in the industry to introduce the deposit scheme, which allows customers to dispose of empty plastic bottles – though only those bought at Iceland – by simply scanning a bar code. The machines were trialled for a 12-month period in stores in Fulham, Mold, Musselburgh, Wolverhampton, and Belfast (the latter two began slightly later). Customers were given 10p vouchers for every plastic bottle returned and Iceland said feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.’ Click here to read more
Sainsburys A “reverse vending machine” is being tested out at a branch of Sainsbury’s in a trial that is the first of its kind thanks to its inclusion of glass. The machine, which accepts plastic bottles as well as glass ones, and cans, has been installed at a Sainsbury’s in Newbury, Berkshire. Manufactured by the Norwegian recycling company Tomra the machine, named the T-70 Dual, offers shoppers a financial incentive for depositing their empty bottles and cans – customers will be rewarded with a 5p Sainsbury’s coupon for every drinks container returned. Truls Haug, managing director of Tomra UK & Ireland, said: “We are excited to be working with Sainsbury’s on this landmark trial. “Showing how three materials can be easily collected in stores with Tomra reverse vending technology is [important] for retailers and consumers as we move towards an all-inclusive deposit return scheme in the UK, starting with Scotland.” Click here to read more