Morrisons is trialling a plastic bottle recycling scheme in two of its stores as it seeks to tackle plastic pollution, following the leads of Iceland the the Co-op Group.

Reverse vending machines have been fitted at stores in Skipton, North Yorkshire, and Lindsayfield, Scotland, for six months and will reward participating customers with points for each bottle recycled.

Customers can return a maximum of 20 bottles a day and receive 100 Morrisons More points for each bottle. They can also choose to donate a 10p cash alternative to the supermarket’s charity partner, CLIC Sargent.

Morrisons group corporate services director, Andrew Clappen, said: “We want to play our part in making sure plastic bottles are collected and recycled. We’ll listen to customers as they use these machines.”

Morrisons has already implemented a range of measures to cut down on plastic waste, including no longer buying plastic drinking straws or selling 5p single-use carrier bags.

It also encourages customers to use their own containers for meat and fish from the Morrisons’ Market Street Butcher and Fishmonger counters.

The Co-op Group and Iceland are both currently trialling deposit and return schemes via reverse vending machines.

The government is expected to launch its consultation into a national Deposit Return Scheme shortly.