Waitrose is trialling the removal of plastic on thousands of multibuy cans as it continues to remove and reduce single use plastic.
The plastic wrap, which is used to keep three or four cans attached for convenience, will be entirely removed from some of the retailer’s canned vegetables. The move will save 18 tonnes of plastic annually that cannot currently be recycled.
The top four bestselling staples were prioritised for the plastic removal as they sell in the largest quantities, including: essential Waitrose baked beans, chopped tomatoes, plum tomatoes and sweetcorn. If successful, the wrap will be removed on further canned products.
Customers will now be able to buy the same cans loose but will continue to pay the lower price for buying in bulk. If a customer purchases the same amount of loose tins - a multibuy purchase will be charged on checkout systems.