SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): A small town in the county of Powys, South Wales, UK, is the focus of a digitally-driven recycling program that’s unique in the world.

Those living and working in the town of Brecon — with a population of 8,000-plus — can participate in a Scan|Recycle|Reward digital deposit return scheme (DDRS) trial.

It’s a broad-based trial across drink container and material types that include glass, metal, and plastic PET bottles as well as paperboard cartons. The trial is designed to test how digital technology can be used to encourage more recycling.

The program encourages consumers to claim 10p (~14 US cents) rewards for recycling each eligible container by scanning a special quick-response (QR) code on the label or sticker with their mobile phones.

There are three options in how consumers recycle the containers:

They can recycle at home;

They can use bins in two locations around the town;

They can hand containers over-the-counter to staff at select stores.

One of the brand participants is Nestlé Waters UK. All single-bottle sizes of Buxton brand natural mineral water, the largest brand in the UK, are eligible for the program.

Last year the brand achieved its commitment to have the full bottle range made with 100% recycled PET plastic. Nestlé Waters UK reports it has significantly reduced the amount of virgin PET plastic used to make its bottles, helping to close the recycling loop.

The DDRS trial is being led by the DDRS Alliance, in partnership with Welsh Government, WRAP Cymru, Powys County Council, and local retailers.

“We are excited to work on this large-scale digital Deposit Return Scheme trial,”  says Hayley Lloyd House, head of corporate affairs and sustainability at Nestlé Waters UK. “It’s a great opportunity for us to understand how digital solutions may be incorporated into a deposit return scheme and how a digital recycling solution can engage with consumers regarding the bottle-to-bottle circular economy journey to help increase recycling rates further.

“Effective and efficient deposit return schemes have demonstrated that they can help increase the availability of high-quality, food-grade recycled plastic for drinks containers. We hope this trial could inform the development of DRS across the UK.”

Courtesy: www.packagingdigest.com