Waitrose trial take your own tubs scheme to reduce plastic waste

Waitrose is trialling a 'take your own tub' scheme to encourage shoppers to reduce their plastic waste.

They'll be selling loose cereals, pasta, rice, coffee as well as beers, wine, and washing up liquid and in a 'refillable zone'. There will also be a 'pick'n'mix' frozen fruit section and customers will also be able to a 'borrow-a-box' instead of using plastic bags.

The Waitrose Unpacked initiative will be trialled in the Botley Road store in Oxford and will run for 11 weeks until August 18th 2019. The supermarket chain is asking for as much feedback as possible to see if the Unpacked trial could be a longterm change.

'We are determined to build on the work we’ve already done to reduce packaging, and this test will take our efforts to a whole new level as we help the growing number of customers who want to shop in a more sustainable way,' Waitrose head of corporate social responsibility, Tor Harris, said.

'This test has huge potential to shape how people might shop with us in the future so it will be fascinating to see which concepts our customers have an appetite for.

'We know we’re not perfect and have more to do, but we believe this is an innovative way to achieve something different.'

According to Greenpeace UK ocean plastics campaigner Ariana Densham, the top 10 UK supermarkets produce 810,000 tonnes of throwaway packaging each year so this could revolutionise not only the way we shop but how much plastic we use on a day-to-day basis.