“It’s a great thing going forward for the environment and will be influential in helping take a lot of litter off the streets,” he said.
Trovr will lend the machine on a long-term basis as part of a trial for the UK’s mandatory national Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), scheduled for October 2027.
“It’s only two machines, but the message it sends shows people this [DRS] is coming and a lot of litter that’s on the streets ends up in drains and in rivers and out in the sea, so it’s going to stop all of that,” Watson added.
“People are going to be able to get money back as well, so it’s just a complete win-win really.”
Under the nationwide initiative, a redeemable deposit is placed on drinks containers that can be claimed back when the item is returned to a collection point.
But the machine at Weston Favell will be slightly different – users instead exchange bottles and cans for a printed ticket that can be swapped for rewards at participating retailers based in the shopping centre.
Four independent stores are currently taking part, with a further 11 expected to join in the coming weeks.