Asda’s Old Lane store in Beeston has become the first of the Leeds-based supermarkets to get rid of all single-use plastic in its café, including straws, disposable cups and cutlery.
As part of a new trial, the café – one of Asda’s Express Diner formats – has introduced wooden cutlery, paper straws and food containers made from organic material which can be disposed of with food waste. In a bid to reduce unnecessary waste, the café has also replaced its pizza boxes with metal plates.
To help customers with the move, Asda has installed 3 new recycling bins in the café, which recycle food waste and coffee cups, in addition to bottles and cans. The supermarket is also giving customers who bring in their own cup a 25p discount on hot drinks.
Asda has committed to removing single-use cups and cutlery from all of its customer cafes by the end of 2019.
The supermarket recently announced it had met its 2018 promise to remove 6500 tonnes of plastic from its own brand packaging within a year. The milestone marks a significant step towards its ongoing commitment to use less and recycle more plastic.
Through product innovation and redesign, Asda has reduced plastic in almost 1000 individual product lines – from fresh fruit and veg to electronics and homewares – removing the equivalent weight of 600 million empty plastic bottles.
Chris Brown, Senior Director for Sustainable Business at Asda said:
“Across the whole business we are looking at ways we can reduce our own plastic use, as well as helping customers and colleagues to reduce their own. Going single-use plastic free in our cafés will mean that thousands of our customers will be able to use a little less plastic each day”.
This post is based on a press release issued by Asda Stores Ltd
