Waitrose has announced plans to roll out a new trial that will allow customers to return hard to recycle flexible plastics at their local store.
The trial kicks off this week at 37 branches services Waitrose’s Leyland Distribution Centre in the North of England for an initial 12 weeks.
The scheme will allow all clean flexible plastics that can be crunched up, stretched or squashed to be deposited in the participating stores.
Waitrose revealed drop off points that have previously been used to recycle plastic bags will now be retrofitted to allow an expanded range of flexible plastics.
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This includes crisp packets, sweet wrappers, bubble wrap and cling film, alongside many more.
If the trial is successful, Waitrose has said it has potential plans for it to be rolled out to all stores in “the near future”.
“The UK’s infrastructure is currently not fit for purpose to deal with the recycling of all flexible plastics, with significant volumes currently going to landfill or being incinerated in the UK each year,” John Lewis Partnership partner and director of ethics and sustainability Marija Rompani said.
“If the UK is to become more efficient in its handling of difficult to recycle flexible plastics, we not only need to invest in more capable machinery, we need to come together as an industry and make recycling flexible plastics easier for the public.
“This is the emphasis of our trial and our new drop off points in store and we hope it will provide us with the intelligence needed to roll out more widely in the future.”
