UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has launched a reverse vending recycling trial at its Lincoln Superstore in the East Midlands.

The trial is part of a series of measures taken by the chain to cut plastic by removing, reusing, replacing and recycling.

As part of the pilot, customers can return plastic bottles up to 3l and drinks cans purchased from its stores in exchange for 5p coupons.

The retailer will allow a maximum of 500 items to be deposited per customer, which could save them up to £25 off their shopping.

Sainsbury’s brand director Judith Batchelar said: “We’re delighted to offer a new way to help our customers recycle while saving on their shop.”

Earlier this month, the British supermarket chain announced its commitment to remove an additional 1,284t of plastic across its operations this year.

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As part of the initiative, the supermarket chain plans to remove plastic bags used for its loose fruit, vegetables and bakery items, which will result in the reduction of 489t of waste.

The retailer also noted that it is reducing currently 8,101t of non-recyclable plastic and virgin plastic every year and expects to bring the total to 10,000t through various initiatives this year.

In May, the company announced several measures to tackle plastic waste, including a pledge to end the use of difficult-to-recycle dark coloured plastics by March 2020.