The official Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Scotland may have been delayed from its planned March 2024 implementation, but Lidl has decided to deploy reverse vending machines in its shops in Scotland anyway – to collect empty bottles and cans.
Using the investment it said it made prior to the DRS being put back at least until October 2025, Lidl is encouraging consumers north of the border to return bottles and cans in return for a 5p reward for each eligible item – which they can redeem against their shop or donate to charity.
The pilot scheme is being rolled out to all 21 of the retailer’s Glasgow stores, with Lidl saying it expects to recycle 10.5 tonnes of plastic and aluminium material every month through the reverse vending machines.
Clean and empty PET plastic and aluminium drinks containers with visible barcodes are being accepted as part of the scheme.
The discounter said it will accept qualifying bottles and cans purchased from any retailer, as long as they are clean and uncrushed. Items collected will be turned back into recycled containers.
Unlike DRS, this scheme does not place a deposit on the retail price of the original product.
Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer at Lidl GB, remarked: “We’re on a mission to eliminate all unnecessary waste, and with over 95% of our own-brand packaging now recyclable, reusable, or refillable we’ve been making great progress.
“We know that Lidl shoppers share this passion, and we hope that utilising this infrastructure, which might otherwise have been left dormant, will help to make recycling their cans and bottles even more convenient for them.”
Beginning on 8 February 2024, Lidl’s reverse vending trial will run until 11 August 2024. And it comes as the Republic of Ireland launches a government-led DRS of its own.
When a consumer in Ireland buys a drink in a ‘Re-turn’-labelled plastic bottle or aluminium can, they will be charged a small deposit in addition to the drink’s price. But upon returning their empty container to any participating retail outlet, the customer will receive a full refund of that initial deposit.
The scheme will be managed by DRS Ireland, known as Re-turn, which was appointed by public expenditure minister Ossian Smyth in 2022. It is part of the country’s plans to reduce litter and cut down on the number of single use containers going straight to landfill or incineration.
[Image credit: Green Retail World]
