Co-op introduces greener trolleys

The retail arm of the Co-op has launched the latest initiative in its sustainability programme by rolling out baskets on wheels made of 100% recycled plastic.

The firm claims to be the first in the UK to introduce the 100 per cent recycled wheelie baskets, which are made of plastic which would otherwise be sent to landfill or for incineration.

The baskets are designed for customers who cannot carry a standard basket without wheels. By the end of 2010 it expects to supply 8,000 of the new wheelie baskets to stores.

The Co-op has already started introducing standard recycled baskets in its stores and claims the combined carbon saving of swapping both the standard and wheelie baskets will be 75 tonnes of CO2 per year.