Household essentials including teabags and cereals will be sold via refillable containers at a trial sustainability Asda store.
The new outlet – opened in Middleton, Leeds – also features loose and unwrapped produce, paper wrapping, and recycling points throughout.
Asda hopes the store will encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle – saving an estimated one million pieces of plastic from being used each year.
Image: Refill zones feature 30 household essentials
Big brands are on board with the initiative, with products from PG Tips, Kellogg’s, Radox and Persil among those that shoppers will be able to take home in their own refillable containers to cut down on waste.
Heinz products, alongside Asda’s own brand canned products, will be sold without outer plastic packaging.
There are also 53 fresh produce items which are being sold loose, as well as flowers wrapped in paper.
Recycling points for shoppers will also be available for items that are more difficult to recycle, such as crisp packets, plastic toys, cosmetics packaging, and toothpaste tubes.
This trial store will also feature a community zone, allowing for partnerships with charities.
The first will be a three-month collaboration with the Salvation Army, featuring a “drop and shop” outlet for customers to donate clothing and unwanted items.
The supermarket has also launched Greener at Asda Price, a promise ensuring that unwrapped and loose fruit and vegetables will not cost more than packaged versions across all of its stores.
Image: Recycling points for items more difficult to recycle will be available for shoppers
Roger Burnley, the chief executive of Asda, said: “Today marks an important milestone in our journey as we tackle plastic pollution and help our customers to reduce, reuse and recycle.
“We have always known that we couldn’t go on this journey alone, so it is fantastic to work in tandem with more than 20 of our partners and suppliers who have answered the call to test innovative sustainable solutions with us.”
Initiatives within the new store that prove successful could be rolled out across more Asda sites in 2021.
The company, which was purchased from Walmart earlier this month in a £6.8bn deal, has pledged to produce zero carbon emissions by 2040 and has also committed to reducing waste by 50%.