Checkers unveils new trolleys made mostly from bottles

Checkers is taking its aim to reduce its environmental impact to the next level, unveiling new shopping trolley baskets made from 100% recycled plastic mostly old milk bottles.

The grocery giant, owned by Shoprite, said on Tuesday that its trolleys have “contained at least 35% recycled content since 2018” but this has now been bumped up to 100%.

This makes Checkers the first “major South African retailer to have trolley baskets made from 100% recyclable material”. The baskets come in two sizes

classic and mini, made from either 180 or 110 bottles.

The move is part of Checkers’ commitment to environmental sustainability and to promoting a circular economy, said group sustainability manager Sanjeev Raghubir. “We’ve stepped up our efforts.

“This change is just one of several initiatives we have introduced across our operations,” he added.

The company has also, over the years, introduced several other environmental initiatives. These include:

Becoming the first national retailer to introduce shopping bags made from 100% recycled content in its supermarkets nine years ago; introducing “planet” bags, which rewards customers every time they reuse the bag, in 2018; becoming the first South African retailer to replace its rotisserie chicken packaging with fully recyclable, responsibly sourced cardboard boxes earlier this year; becoming the first retailer to recycle sanitising wipes from its supermarkets; and Checkers Sitari becoming the first premium South African supermarket to run entirely on renewable energy.