Designed to be used 400 times, the boxes will help prevent disposable plastic containers from being used

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The rentable box is made from fully recyclable polypropylene and replaces Morrisons large salad box. (Credit: Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited)

UK-based supermarket chain Morrisons has announced that it is introducing refill boxes for customers at its salad bars in a trial scheme to reduce the use of plastic packaging.

The Refill a Box scheme, to be launched in four stores, is claimed to be the first-of-its-kind to be trialled by a UK supermarket.

The rentable box, which is made from fully recyclable polypropylene, will replace Morrisons large salad box.

Designed to be used 400 times, the boxes will help prevent disposable plastic containers from being used.

In order to use the refill boxes, customers have to download the CauliBox app, register, tap on ‘scan to take a box’ and enter their card details.

Customers can then scan the QR code on the Salad Bar point-of-sale, pick up an empty box from a Salad Bar colleague, fill it with salad products, then pay at the till as normal.

Customers should return the boxes to the Refill a Box drop-off point at the salad bar during their next visit and scan the QR code again.

The boxes will be thoroughly machine washed and sanitised, before being returned to the pick-up point for another use.

The supermarket chain stated a deposit of £5 is held whilst customers use the box, which is refunded when the customers return the box within seven days.

Morrisons has also eliminated plastic cutlery from all stores, as part of its sustainability efforts. The supermarket chain has committed to reducing its own brand primary plastic packaging by half by 2025.

Morrisons environmental packaging manager Lorraine Wheeler said: “Thousands of customers visit our Salad Bars every week – and this is increasing as people go back out to work.

“Until now we’ve stocked recyclable single-use plastic containers, but we think customers will be ready to swap to this reusable box – as it’s so simple to use. We hope to roll it out to more stores this year.”