Prepare to be ‘pumped’ about new Coles giveaway
Coles Fresh Container Program helps customers cut food waste, reduce single-use plastic consumption at home
23 April 2019
Customers will be “pumped” with the Coles Fresh Food Container Program, which will help them reduce food and plastic waste at home, helping their household budget and the environment at the same time.
From Wednesday 24 April, customers will earn ‘container credits’ when they spend $20 or more at Coles supermarkets and swipe their flybuys card, or shop via Coles Online after registering their flybuys member details.
The points can then be redeemed for a range of five different reusable storage containers from 600mL to 1.5 litres, as well as a specially-designed vacuum pump that removes air to tightly seal the containers.
The containers from Dutch designers RoyalVKB are made from durable polypropylene and are microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe, as well as being BPA-free. At the end of their long life they can be recycled in your kerbside bin.
Coles Chief Operating Officer Greg Davis said the Coles Fresh Food Container Program is a great opportunity for customers to earn a versatile and practical reward as part of their shop.
“We know our customers want to reduce food waste for environmental and family budget reasons, and these reusable containers are a great way to keep food fresh in the fridge or pantry without the need for more single-use plastic,” he said.
“Coles has removed 1.2 billion single-use plastic bags from circulation since we phased them out of our stores last year, and since 2011 we have diverted more than 542 million pieces of flexible plastic from landfill through our recycling partnership with REDcycle.”
Paul Klymenko, CEO of environmental organisation Planet Ark, said: “This is a great initiative by Coles to reduce food and plastic waste. When food waste ends up in landfills it produces
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– a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. By shopping wisely and storing food in air tight reusable containers we can all do our bit to help the environment and save money.”
Melbourne mum Casey Gillespie said being able to store food properly helped her to save money while feeding her family fresh and healthy food all through the week.
“I buy food in bulk a lot of the time because it’s cheaper, and I like to cook in large amounts while it’s all fresh. When I make something like a soup or lasagne there’s always enough for at least three meals, so I’ve always got a few dinners ready to go during the week when we’re short on time,” she said.
“The whole family is really keen on using less plastic, so reusable containers are much better than freezing in bags or using plastic wrap to cover a bowl of leftovers in the fridge. At school the kids learn a lot about the environment, so they actually tell me to make sure I haven’t wrapped their lunch in plastic.”
