Pret a Manger to give 10p refund if you take back your plastic bottle
A SANDWICH chain is bringing in a 10p plastic bottle deposit scheme in a High Street first.
Pret a Manger is to test the scheme in three stores and may roll it out across Britain in the autumn.
The plan is to add 10p to the price of plastic bottles and refund the 10p when customers return them.
The move will boost recycling amid reports that as many as 700,000 plastic bottles end up as litter every day.
It will also turn the heat up on the Government to introduce a nationwide deposit and return scheme (DRS) for all plastic drinks bottles and cans.
A DRS has the support of Coca-Cola, which says it would help increase the amount of recycled plastic in its bottles. The majority of shoppers are behind it, as well as retailers such as Tesco, Iceland and the Co- op. Now Pret a Manger, which has 350 stores in the UK, is taking the lead with a 10p bottle deposit trial at three stores in Brighton in April.
Its initiative mirrors how Marks & Spencer led the way on introducing a 5p charge on plastic bags ten years ago to encourage customers to shift to reusable bags.
The Daily Mail’s Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign has called for a national DRS like those in Denmark, Norway and Germany.
Just this week, MPs on the Commons environmental audit committee called on ministers to stop ‘dragging their feet’ on the issue.
Pret chief executive, Clive Schlee, has already taken action to reduce the chain’s reliance on plastic-lined throwaway coffee cups. Last month he introduced a 50p discount for anyone who brings their own mug.
But Mr Schlee said a recent trip to Hong Kong opened his eyes to the full extent of plastic pollution. A flight delay meant he was able to visit the south-east tip of Lantau, which has quiet fishing villages and some pristine beaches.
However, he said: ‘There was one exception. The industrial quantity of plastic bottles on the shoreline was truly horrifying. It seemed like a message – do something about plastic bottles.’
He added: ‘Back in Britain, we recycle just over half of the bottles that are sold. Meanwhile countries like Denmark and Germany have seen recycling rates grow to more than 90 per cent after introducing deposit and return schemes. It will take time to eliminate unnecessary plastic, but I hope this sort of initiative will bring that day forward.
‘We’ve chosen Brighton because we know the local people are highly attuned to the environment. If it is successful we could extend the scheme across the country during the autumn.’
Unclaimed deposits, he said, will be reinvested in environmental projects. Mr Schlee posted the details on Twitter and received an overwhelmingly positive response.
A Dutch supermarket has launched an aisle completely free of plastic packaging.
Shoppers at an Ekoplaza store can choose from 700 products in compostable containers.
Products on offer include meat, rice, dairy, fruit and vegetables.
They are wrapped in a compostable plant-based film or glass and paper, which can be recycled in the regular way. Ekoplaza will roll out plastic-free aisles across its 74 branches by the end of this year.