In Catalonia there is already a supermarket that gives money back for taking care of the environment. Retorna, the new initiative of Bon Àrea supermarkets, will make each customer recover from now on 50 cents of the plastic packaging in which the chicken or beef meat is sold.
This circular economy project allows consumers to return trays of meat products, starting with chicken fillet, to be reused.
With each tray returned, customers receive a 50 cent refund.
This supermarket cooperative, originally from Guissona, Lleida, and with a wide presence throughout the southern area of Catalonia, thus recovers a practice that has long been extinct in supermarkets throughout the country.
In the past, glass containers were recovered, and currently there are initiatives to do the same with plastic bottles and cans. However, this project is the first to offer direct financial compensation to customers.
How Bon Àrea’s returnable packaging works
The way it works is simple: after enjoying your chicken fillet, you can return the tray to any Bon Àrea store. You don’t need to wash it; the recycling process takes care of that.
This initiative is not just for chicken meat; it is expected to be extended to other products soon.
According to the company, each container can be used up to 50 times using this recovery method.