Waitrose plastic bag recycling

Waitrose will reintroduce its carrier bag recycling scheme for online deliveries from 17 August.

The initiative was temporarily stopped in March due to coronavirus, and will make a return after Waitrose surveyed 2,000 people and found 54% said they would still like supermarkets to make plastic reduction their main priority.

Customers using the recycling service will leave carrier bags outside their homes so delivery drivers can collect them while maintaining social distancing. They will then be stored in a dedicated area within the delivery van.

Customers will also be able to return John Lewis parcels to their Waitrose.com delivery driver.

“During lockdown, we temporarily stopped recycling bags for online deliveries to keep our drivers and customers safe,” said George Leicester-Thackara, head of corporate responsibility at the John Lewis Partnership.

“As a result of customer demand and our ability to ensure the safety of our customers and partners, we have taken the decision to build on the momentum we had prior to the pandemic and continue to reduce the use of plastics, which remains a priority for us and many of our customers.”