Iceland has extended its trial of reverse vending machines to a sixth store.
The frozen food retailer has installed a new machine for customers to recycle plastic bottles in its recently opened store in Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Birmingham. It had previously become the first UK retailer to begin trialling the machines in stores, in May last year.
The move was prompted by a letter to Iceland MD Richard Walker from a 19-year-old environmentalist who had previously travelled nine miles to take 1,000 empty bottles to Iceland’s Wolverhampton store, which had been his nearest branch with a machine.
More than a million plastic bottles have so far been collected by Iceland in five machines in the Wolverhampton, Mold, Fulham and Musselburgh stores, as well as at its head office in Deeside.
The trial rewards customers with a 10p voucher for each plastic bottle they buy in an Iceland store and recycle in one of the machines, with an option of donating the money to charity.
Iceland said almost all its customers had responded “extremely positively” to the move, with 96% of shoppers believing the scheme should be extended to all retailers.
Richard Walker said: “Our in-store trials of reverse vending machines have been met with overwhelming praise from the public, demonstrating a real appetite for a deposit return scheme across the UK.
“It’s inspiring to hear individual stories such as this, with members of the public feeling so motivated to support us in our efforts to tackle the problem of plastic head on. I’m hopeful that the reverse vending machine will bring some joy to a young environmentalist and encourage families in the community of Merry Hill to join him in his recycling efforts.”
Sarah Woodward, the 19-year-old environmentalist’s mother, said: “My son has autism and focusing on the environment has given him such a sense of focus. I’ve been so delighted that he is so committed to doing his bit for the environment, particularly in terms of reducing plastic pollution. Returning hundreds of bottles for recycling has given him a real sense of fulfilment.
“We are so grateful that Iceland has responded to his request for a machine closer to home so that he can continue to do his bit and inspire others in the community to join him.”
Iceland last year committed to removing plastic packaging from all own-brand products by 2023.
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