Lidl is testing out a bottle return system in stores

Huge progress for the retailer.

Lidl Ireland has begun a new system in store to combat climate change and reduce its carbon footprint, and it is very much welcomed. Welcoming the success of their bottle and can deposit return scheme at their Glenageary branch, the scheme was launched 11 weeks ago and has been hugely popular among customers. The German supermarket chain is aiming to engage customers in recycling plastic and aluminium waste. According to Lidl Ireland, their reverse vending machine has collected double of the waste in Gelangeary alone than what is being collected by some of its European counterparts. It has collected more than 64,000 plastic bottles and aluminium cans from customers in Glenageary and given more than €6,400 in vouchers. For every unit deposited in Lidl's vending machine, customers are given a 10c voucher in return, with a maximum limit of €2 on a voucher. The machine used by Lidl in their stores has the ability to collect and process up to 17,000 units each week. Speaking about the new scheme, the CEO of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, JP Scally said that the response to the scheme has been overwhelming. "Sustainability is at the core of our business, and while we were delighted to be first-to-market with this industry-leading approach to a deposit return scheme, we are overwhelmed by the participation from our customers," he said. "We have already made significant progress against our own targets of an overall plastic reduction of 20 per cent across our own-brand packaging by 2022 by substituting all single use plastic items such as drinking straws, disposable cups, glasses and plates with non-plastic alternatives. "We have also removed all plastic microbeads from our own-brand cosmetics and household cleaning products. By the end of this year we are committed to eliminating all non-recyclable black plastic from our own-brand products."