'Reverse vending machine' coming to North Berwick's Aldi store

Aldi has been given the green light by East Lothian Council to put the machine – which rewards people for recycling items such as plastic, glass bottles and cans – in its car park.

A statement included with the planning application says: “When consumers go into a shop or hospitality business to buy a drink they will pay a small deposit (20p) on top of the retail price. Consumers get their deposit back when they return their empty (PET) plastic bottle, glass bottle or steel/aluminium can. All types of drinks in these containers from 50ml to 3l in size will be included.”

The new machine will be placed in the south side of the car park, south-east of the store. It will be nearly 10 metres long, 6.5 metres wide and nearly three metres high.

It will result in the loss of four parking spaces, with a disabled parking bay relocated to the east of the unit.

Three letters of objection were received by the council relating to its close proximity to residential properties, the use of the facility on a 24-hour period, noise, it being within the two-metre boundary of trees at the edge of Aldi’s site and a request that it be near the existing bottle bank or main road.

North Berwick Community Council stated it welcomed the machine but, due to its closeness to houses, it objected to it being accessible 24 hours a day.

It requested the vending machine’s operational hours be limited to and the same as those of the Aldi store.

East Lothian Council’s environmental protection manager also had concerns over noise, the collection of the bins overnight and the 24-hour operating hours.

Access can be controlled by roller shutters.

The plans were approved on the basis that the machine is not used and bins are not moved between 11pm and 7am on any day.

The other conditions are that no collections can be made from the side of the machine and no associated vehicles can be in the store car park, and that no trees or shrubs that are being retained are damaged.