Waitrose is trialling allowing customers to bring their own refillable containers for fruit and veg, pasta, cereals, coffee and wine. Do you back its initiative?
Waitrose’s Oxford supermarket kicked off its ‘Unpacked’ trial last Monday – it’s hoped that the idea could save thousands of tonnes of unnecessary plastic and packaging.
Since I moved into my own place last year I’ve been far more conscious of the amount of packaging a household consumes.
Every time the shower gel runs out or we go through another bottle of a soft drink it’s another plastic bottle into the pile, so I personally feel this is a positive step in the right direction from Waitrose.
I was also delighted to see the Which? team head to the Waitrose store in Oxford to try it out!
Is packaging-free food budget-friendly? Read how the team got on here.
Perhaps the rows of refill stations are a glimpse at what the supermarkets of the future may look like as brands seek to get more sustainable with their packaging choices?

Do you support ‘buying loose’?
We’ve had discussions here on Which? Conversation before about packaging, specifically last April on how we can rethink the way or products are distributed and sold.
That topic spawned a number of contributions with ideas and concerns, with many of you calling on supermarkets and other shops to reduce their packaging:
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Other supermarkets, including Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Morrisons and Tesco, are also getting in on the plastic-cutting act, with many of them signed up to the Plastics Pact.
But with Waitrose being the first to take the packaging-free/refills route, it’s keen to hear and review feedback when the test ends in August.
We’re hoping it’s not all just a publicity stunt – initiatives like this could have a big impact if they’re rolled out to other stores and chains. But what do you think?
Would you bring your own refillable containers along on your shop? Should this idea be rolled out across the country? What other ways could supermarkets reduce packaging?