Veolia has partnered with the restaurant chain Leon to introduce a reverse vending machine that will accept aluminium cans and plastic bottles in return for 10% discount at the nearest Leon restaurant. The machine, located at King’s Cross branch in London, will take used plastic bottles up to 750ml and aluminium cans.
Richard Kirkman, chief technology and innovation officer at Veolia UK & 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.”
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“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 a reasonable walk away.
“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 & Co-Founder of Leon, said:” 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. And we can’t wait to welcome all the recycling warriors into our restaurants and reward their efforts with a little thank you from us.”
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