Tesco is trialling a 10p hanger charge in a new pilot scheme for shoppers purchasing F&F clothing, in a bid to reduce plastic waste.
Customers at a small selection of stores will be given a choice to pay 10p for a hanger alongside the item of clothing they buy, or to leave it behind for reuse.
While the supermarket giant confirmed the new initiative, it did not specify exactly how many stores were implementing this new charge, nor how long the trial would be active.
But Tesco said it was pleased with the results of its trial so far, and had seen an increase in the number of hangers it was able to reuse.
Although some customers have taken to social media to voice their thoughts on the new scheme with one user describing it as a “sneaky charge being imposed on customers”.
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One commenter said: “I work at head office, it’s a new charge, we were told at the start of the week. Madness”, while another questioned the logistics of universally implementing the new scheme across the supermarket giant’s network of stores.
They said: “…How in the world do they expect us to police every hanger? That’s never going to happen and we [staff] will only get abuse for even suggesting it.”
One user pointed out that the trial is not yet active in all Tesco stores, claiming that: “About three weeks ago I saw a bag of hangers near the tills and they let me take as many as I want for free. Might be a store by store thing.”
Another commenter asked: “Do Tesco get money if they send hangers back?”
Tesco’s new trial comes as the business experiments with a range of new initiatives as part of its commitment to reduce plastic waste in its operations – making it easier for customers to recycle.
Late last year, the supermarket backed calls for a ban on plastic packaging for fruit and veg, while in May last year it revealed it had removed two billion pieces of plastic from its operations, inducing 200 million plastic bags.
Tesco is also not the first retailer to implement a hanger charge.
Last April, Matalan told shoppers that it was introducing the new 10p charge on its hangers “to ensure sustainability”, adding “It is important for the environment that all plastic wherever possible is recycled.”
