Iceland has become the first UK supermarket to install a ‘reverse vending machine’ for customers wishing to recycle their plastic bottles in exchange for cash vouchers.
The move is a show of support for the government’s recently announced plans for a deposit return scheme across England as it looks to tackle the growing volume of plastic waste littering the environment.
Iceland’s vending machine accepts any plastic beverage bottles bought in the supermarket, and repays customers with a 10p voucher to be used in store for each bottle recycled.
This comes after the supermarket pledged in January to eliminate plastic packaging from all its own label products by the end of 2023, and follows an extensive consultation with suppliers.
“The vocal support Iceland has received since announcing our intention to eradicate plastic packaging has shown us that there is a huge public will to tackle the scourge of plastics,” Iceland managing director, Richard Walker, said.
“We feel a responsibility both to tackle the issue of plastic packaging, as we are doing with our own label products, and to give our customers the power to make a difference themselves.”
It is estimated that more than 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans every year, putting the lives of all forms of marine life at risk, from larger animals through to plankton.
There are also fears that harmful toxins originating from plastics are re-entering the food chain via seafood, with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation earlier this year predicting there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050.
Iceland will be trailing its reverse vending machine in its Fulham store for an initial six-month period, with the intention to gain a better understanding of consumer perceptions and appetite for the technology.
Environment secretary, Michael Gove, said: “We can be in no doubt that plastic is damaging to our marine environment. Plastic pollution contributes to killing dolphins, choking turtles and degrading our most precious habitats.
“I applaud Iceland for leading the way with their trial scheme. It is absolutely vital we act now to curb the millions of plastic bottles a day that go unrecycled.
“Support from businesses will be a vital part of ensuring we leave our environment in a better state than we found it.”
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