Lidl is introducing a new “smart” laundry detergent refill station with the aim of reducing plastic and reducing costs for consumers.
In partnership with Algramo, Lidl has launched a refill station at its Kingswinford store as part of a 6-month trial to measure the performance of laundry detergent refill stations.
Lidl says using the refill machine saves customers 20p each time they refill.
Lidl says it is committed to providing customers with cost-saving solutions that can help their wallets and the planet.
Lidl describes the new automated refilling stations as a “streamlined and intuitive approach to save single-use plastic”. The supermarket chain says using the station will never cost more than the single-use product.
They say that customers will pay the same price the first time they use the station but will receive a smart refillable Formil bottle and that they will save 20p with every refill compared to buying the equivalent single-use product.
Lidl describes its refill station as an automated, touchscreen, liquid refill machine – which is located in the laundry detergent section of the Kingswinford store. The refill station will support 4 laundry detergents. Customers need to collect a refill bottle, found next to the machine, before refilling. The machine then prints a barcode which the customer brings to the till when they’re ready to pay.
As well as reducing costs for customers, Lidl says using the laundry detergent refill machine saves “59g of plastic” per use after the first use. This weight is the same as a single-use Formil bottle of the same product.
The refill bottles are made using HDPE, which is a durable plastic that is 100% recyclable.