Iceland steps up fight against plastic

Iceland has become the first UK supermarket to install a reverse vending machine in-store in support of the Government’s Deposit Return Scheme. 

It will be trialling this in its Fulham, London branch, initially for six months. The machine will reward customers with a 10p voucher for every plastic bottle brought into the store. It only accepts bottles bought from Iceland and works this out by scanning the barcode. 

“The vocal support we have 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. We’re the first supermarket to take decisive action to bring the reverse vending machine into stores, following the announcement of the Government’s support for a Deposit Return Scheme in England,” says Iceland Managing Director, Richard Walker. 

“We’re doing it properly, through consultation with suppliers and by gaining understanding of how customers will act in response to the machine. There are 12 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans every year, so 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.” 

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