New recycling points will enable tonnes of soft plastics to be recycled each year
Aldi customers will soon be able to recycle soft plastics at their local store, the supermarket has announced.
The discount retailer is set to roll out recycling points at almost all of its UK stores, as it seeks to help customers recycle tonnes of problem materials a year.
The recycling bins will cater for all types of clean, soft plastic packaging – including carrier bags, crisp packets, bread bags and salad bags – regardless of where the items were bought.
Following a successful trial last year, the full rollout will see bins installed in over 800 stores nationwide by the end of this year.
The German retail giant – which recently overtook Morrisons to become the UK’s fourth largest supermarket – expects the recycling points to collect up to 1,000 tonnes of plastic a year.
Aldi UK’s plastics and packaging director Richard Gorman said: “We are always striving to reduce plastic waste wherever possible, and we know how important this is to our customers. This rollout is a step in the right direction and provides our shoppers with an easy option to recycle their problematic soft plastic packaging in the UK.
“We hope customers utilise our collection bins to help us make a positive change by recycling more waste.”
With most UK local authorities still not offering collection of soft plastics, Aldi’s decision to help customers recycle more of their waste has been welcomed by the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Helen Bird, head of business collaboration at WRAP, said: “A fifth of the plastic packaging that we’re all left with at home is plastic bags and wrapping. There are opportunities to reduce this, but where plastic is used, packaging design needs to be simplified and recycling systems are needed. In future years, this packaging will be collected directly from people’s homes and places of work, but solutions are urgently needed today to tackle the growing mountain of waste.”
“Many citizens have shown that they are willing to take plastic bags and wrapping to their local food stores for recycling, and this move by Aldi means that more people across the UK will be able to do just that. We have seen trials and regional roll outs of similar schemes by other supermarkets working towards The UK Plastics Pact goal for all plastic packaging to be recyclable by 2025, this move by Aldi is a great achievement and one we fully support.”
Image courtesy of Aldi.
