The tide is turning on single-use plastics in Aotearoa’s supermarkets. Customers shopping at North Island Pak’nSave, New World and Four Square supermarkets can now bring their own reusable containers for use at bakery, delicatessen, seafood and butcher counters. Following suit, Countdown has announced a BYO container scheme will be trialled in a number of its Auckland and Canterbury stores before rolling the scheme out nationally in a couple of months. The trial is to assess whether training is up to scratch for the new processes, which include weighing, cleaning and drying containers. Tips: Check your containers are leak-proof, clean and dry. For food hygiene reasons, some will get an extra wash at the supermarket, primarily at deli counters. Staff will weigh your container before adding food, then seal and label them with a barcode for scanning at checkout.
