A reverse vending machine designed to accept plastic bottles and aluminium cans has been unveiled at King's Cross by Veolia and restaurant chain LEON.
Backed by research which shows 81 per cent of people would go out of their way to deposit a bottle or can, the pilot will operate for six months to encourage people to recycle while on the go.
Any bottle returned will receive a voucher worth 10 per cent off the bill at the nearest LEON restaurant.
Richard Kirkman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for Veolia UK and Ireland, said: “A UK-wide deposit return scheme is imperative if we want to round up the millions of stray plastic
bottles and cans we as a country are not recycling.”
‘This pilot Veolia is conducting with LEON is the yardstick for on the go recycling. Located in a high footfall area and targeting the drinks containers most commonly misplaced – plastic bottles up to 750ml and aluminium cans – the machine offers an alternative to carrying recyclable items home or discarding as litter.”
“Our research shows people are motivated to recycle, they care about the environment and the vast majority are poised to use a machine like ours when it is a reasonable walk away.”
“Veolia will collect and process the machine’s contents, ultimately transporting the bottles and cans to be recycled into new products. We hope as the pilot unfolds, it proves the importance of recycling on the go as well as the need for appropriate infrastructure to facilitate it.”
John Vincent, CEO and Co-Founder of LEON, said: “At LEON we’ve been committed to being the most sustainable business we can be since we opened our first restaurant in 2004.”
“Through our Planet LOVe programme launched in 2019, we will carry on investing in new ways to reduce single use plastics and find better recycling solutions because, put simply, the planet needs us to.”
“We’re really excited about this partnership with Veolia because we know that, as an industry, we need to push for the right facilities and infrastructure to ensure better recycling and reuse – this is a great step forward.”
