Here’s how you can get paid to recycle plastic bottles in Iceland’s ‘Reverse Vending Machine’
Deposit scheme is now being trialled at one store in bid to tackle plastic waste problems
SHOPPERS at one Iceland store are the first in the country to get cashback from their plastic bottles.
Bosses are trialling the Reverse Vending Machines at its store in Fulham, London.
The frozen food specialist says it is leading the way by introducing the Deposit Return Scheme.
It will test out use of the machines for six months.
Reverse Vending Machines reward people for recycling by providing money or vouchers in return for empty containers.
Customers in Fulham are given 10p in Iceland vouchers in return for the empty plastic bottles they slot into the machines at the supermarket.
The move has been welcomed by government and campaigners tackling plastic waste.
Richard Walker, Iceland Managing Director, said: "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 plastic.
"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.
"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."
Similar schemes are already running in other countries including Germany, Norway and Sweden.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove MP, welcomed the trial.
He 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's absolutely vital we act now to curb the millions of plastic bottles a day that go unrecycled.
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"Support from businesses will be a vital part of ensuring we leave our environment in a better state than we found it."
Hugo Tagholm, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, who highlight destruction of oceans and seas said the vending machines "puts the power in customers' hands to say no to plastic pollution and incentivises them to participate in the proven solution for a plastic free ocean".
He said: "A nationwide deposit return system will stop millions of plastic bottles escaping into the environment annually and stem the tidal wave of plastics swamping our coastline."
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