Ocado’s latest digital deposit return scheme (DDRS) has been deemed a success following a pilot which saw Ocado customers claim monetary rewards for two and four pint milk bottles over the summer.
The pilot from the online delivery platform was launched in partnership with recycling technology firm Polytag and recycling app Bower.
The scheme – which sends 20p to digital wallets for each code scanned – was trialled to increase demand for retail recycling initiatives.
As a result, more than 20,000 Ocado Retail milk bottles were scanned by these consumers through their smartphones before being placed in their home kerbside recycling – totalling reward claims of up to £4,000.
Since launch in July, more than 3,000 Ocado customers have claimed monetary rewards for recycling their two and four-pint milk bottles.
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Speaking to sustainability publication edie, Polytag’s chief executive officer Alice Rackley said: “Through cutting-edge technology and end-to-end packaging solutions, this project has delivered on what consumers have been asking for.
“A nationwide, scalable, and viable solution to the recycling crisis that keeps convenience and efficiency in mind.
“Today’s outcome is the result of years of public consultation, technological innovation, and stringent testing working to feed the appetite of consumers for retailers to offer real incentives for recycling.”
Ocado Retail’s senior packaging and sustainability manager, Laura Fernandez added: “To be able to launch a workable DDRS that actually pays customers back for recycling is a game-changing move for recycling and the circular economy in the UK.”
Ocado first launched it’s on-pack technology trial for DDRS towards the end of last year.
