Lidl says it will become the first retailer operating in the Republic to offer customers in-store recycling stations to dispose of the packaging from their grocery shopping.

Lidl has announced it will roll out the initiative across all 160 of its stores in the Republic by the end of May. Once customers have paid for their shopping at checkouts, they will be able to proceed directly to a recycling station to offload paper and plastic packaging, before heading home.

Environmental concerns

The scheme is being rolled out after it was piloted at Lidl stores in Gorey in Wexford, Greystones in Wicklow and Ballycullen in Dublin.

Lidl has previously promised that its wares will use 20 per cent less plastic packaging by 2022 while its own-brand packaging will be 100 recyclable by 2025, as studies show that environmental concerns are now at the forefront of many consumers’ minds.