Asda puts shoppers on alert over major change to 600 supermarkets in UK

Asda has put shoppers on alert over a big change to over 600 of its stores. Asda, which is rivalled by Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi, says a new recycling scheme will now be available in more than 600 stores nationwide.

Customers can return their Podback bags for recycling through Asda’s toYou parcel service and the supermarket hopes convenient collection system will encourage more customers to recycle coffee pods.

Podback users can now recycle their used aluminium and plastic coffee pods by filling a Podback bag and returning it to the toYou parcel returns service in their nearest participating Asda store. The free to use Podback service was set up by Nestle and Jacobs Douwe Egberts in 2021 to make coffee pod recycling easy and convenient for consumers across the UK.

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Through the Podback scheme, plastic and aluminium pods are recycled in the UK. The coffee grounds are transformed by anaerobic digestion into renewable energy and soil improver, with the aluminium and plastic from the used pods being used in the manufacture of products such as drinks cans, building products and garden furniture.

Asda and Podback hope the new service will encourage more coffee pod users to make recycling their pods part of their regular shopping routine. Beth Fowler, Senior Manager – Healthy and Sustainable Choices, at Asda, said: “We’re always looking for ways to support customers to make sustainable choices when shopping with us. The partnership with Podback is one of many workstreams across Asda’s ESG strategy including broader commitments on packaging reduction, recyclability and recycled content. By offering the collection and recycling service with Asda toYou and Podback, we hope that we can make recycling more convenient than ever when shopping with Asda.”

Rick Hindley, Executive Director at Podback said: “Our partnership with Asda marks an exciting step forward in Podback’s mission to make sure every coffee pod enjoyed is recycled. Our customers tell us that they want easy and convenient ways to recycle, and the nationwide network of Asda toYou drop-off points means they can now drop their pods off for recycling as part of their regular visit to the supermarket.”