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Tesco Set To Pay Customers For Recycling Plastic Bottles

Tesco Set To Pay Customers For Recycling Plastic Bottles

The supermarket giant is currently trialling a series of in-store recycling bins that will pay 10p for every plastic bottle handed in

EMS 7

EMS 7

As Tesco's slogan states, 'Every Little Helps', and that sentiment certainly rings true with a new sustainability scheme its currently trying out.

Tesco is trialling a series of in-store recycling bins that will pay customers 10p for every plastic bottle handed in.

The Independent reports that the trials are currently taking place at selected stores in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, Swansea, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham and will be rolled out across the UK if deemed a success.

Tesco store sign
Tesco store sign

Now before you start rifling through bins in anticipation, obviously there'll be limits to how much customers can return - 10 a day per shopper. And the bottles will have to be up to 750ml in size and bought from Tesco or major brands such as Coca-Cola.

Either way, that's a quid per day for doing nothing aside from helping to cut plastic waste.

In addition to the trial, Tesco recently launched its 'bring your own container' scheme, whereby shoppers are now able to reuse their own containers to package whole foods such as meat, dairy or fish when purchasing items from stores across the country.

It certainly seems the supermarket chain is determined to do its bit, as the news comes just months after announcing plans to ban non-recyclable plastic packaging by 2019.

Granted, this probably could've done with happening sooner. Ya know, before the Great Pacific Garbage Patch reached the size of Texas x 2.

Ocean Cleanup/Facebook

But it's something, and hopefully this new initiative will inspire more shoppers to do their bit and recycle their waste.

Tesco's UK CEO Jason Tarry hopes that other supermarkets will follow suit. Speaking about the cash for bottles scheme, he said: "We would urge the government to move to a single, nationwide approach to waste collection that makes it much easier for people to recycle."

After all, UK consumers reportedly get through approximately 13 billion plastic bottles a year, with a worrying three billion of these being incinerating or sent to landfill where they go on to pollute the earth.

Get involved and ensure the world's first country made of trash is its last.

Become a citizen of the Trash Isles here

Donate to our charity partner, Plastic Oceans Foundation here

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: supermarket, cash, Tesco, Recycling