During the reverse vending machines trial, over 95% of customers at Iceland stores said that a deposit return scheme should be extended to all retailers

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Image: Iceland store in Fulham. Photo: Courtesy of Iceland Foods Ltd.

British frozen food company Iceland has recycled over one million plastic bottles since May 2018 after trialling reverse vending machines in some of its stores.

During the trial period, 96% of customers at Iceland stores said that the scheme should be extended to all retailers.

Iceland said that the main motivation for customers to use the reverse vending machines was environmental concerns, with two thirds (67%) choosing this option.

Iceland trialled the reverse vending machines at five stores

Data on bottle return and the customer insight were taken from Iceland’s five stores at Fulham, Mold, Musselburgh, Wolverhampton and Belfast, where reverse vending machines were installed during the last year.

The trial at The Food Warehouse in Wolverhampton concluded in July 2019, when a new machine was deployed at the store in the Merrion Centre, Leeds.

Iceland said that the trial showed widespread consumer support for a deposit return scheme, with two-thirds of customers using the machines once a fortnight. Around 75% of customers said that the introduction of 20p deposits on plastic bottles would be a good idea.

Iceland managing director Richard Walker said: “The results from our reverse vending machine trials highlight the growing demand from consumers to have a deposit return scheme introduced across the UK.

“Iceland was the first retailer to trial reverse vending machines and we believe the customer feedback we have received shows that our simple model of accepting all sizes of plastic drinks bottle – and extending this to include drinks cans – is the only sensible way to roll out a deposit return scheme nationally.

“We have more than 950 stores across the UK and with the support of the government we could fit a reverse vending machine in every one of our stores.

“With over 1 million bottles returned to just five of our stores, the positive environmental impact of having machines across the UK would be phenomenal.”

Iceland operates more than 950 stores across the UK, along with an online shopping service. In 2018, the company committed to becoming the first major retailer to eliminate plastic packaging from its own-label products by the end of 2023.