Mo Razzaq gave local school children the chance to try out Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) at his Premier store in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, last month.
The retailer invited dozens of eager kids from High Blantyre Primary School to use the store’s reverse vending machine.
The kids lined up to pop plastic, metal and glass bottles into the shop’s Sielaff machine in return for a voucher.
Mo, who is deputy vice president of the Federation of Independent Retailers and a local Labour councillor, showed them how to use the machines to return used juice containers.
Highlighting how the DRS will help local communities across Scotland, Mo said: “The main benefit of a successful Deposit Return Scheme is the fact that littering will be greatly reduced.
“One of the biggest problems at the moment is with broken glass, which is harmful to children and pet dogs.
“If someone drops a bottle or can, people are more likely to pick it up and return it to a store for the financial reward.”
He added: “In Blantyre, reverse vending machines will have three donation buttons to benefit education establishments, environmental groups and sports clubs in the local area.
“Each month, a different recipient will be chosen from each of these groups to receive donations made via the machines.”
Mo also invited Dr Susan Lindner-Kelly, chairperson of the Friends of the Calder environmental group and founder of the Bonnie Blantyre community initiative to give the machine a spin. She had previously worked with the community in 2019 to trial the DRS at the store.
The group appealed for people to donate used bottles and cans to the school. Pupils recycled items using the machine and turned them into money for a vital local charity, with over £200 raised for The Haven, which supports families affected by life-limiting illness.
Lindner-Kelly said: “It was nice to bring some of the schoolchildren we worked with back in 2019 to recycle bottles four years later. As a group with an environmental focus, we recognise the importance of encouraging recycling and reducing litter on our streets.”
A crew from BBC Radio 4 environment programme Costing the Earth was on hand to hear what the kids – who received slushies from the shop as a reward – thought of the machine.
Mo, Lindner-Kelly and chief marketing and communications officer at Circularity Scotland, Kerra McKinnie, were also interviewed by the BBC radio team for a feature about the Deposit Return Scheme.
Mo Razzaq will be discussing the Deposit Return Scheme along with other industry experts at the Convenience Conference on 6 June at Kings Place in London. Book your ticket now to hear from the leading figures in the sector.
McKinnie said: “DRS will transform how Scotland recycles and help prevent billions of cans and bottles each year from ending up as waste.
“Retailers of all sizes have an important role to play in the success of DRS and with confirmation that the scheme will go live from March 2024, we’d encourage any retailers to get in touch with us at www.circularityscotland.com or on 0141 401 0899 so that we can help them prepare.”
Under the scheme, people will be able to return eligible plastic, aluminium and glass drink containers in return for the 20p deposit they paid on each item.
The deposit is paid back by voucher over the counter or from a Reverse Vending Machine when the customer takes their empty to a return point for recycling.
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