Lidl has recreated one of the world’s most famous paintings by one of Italy’s most influential artists in a mural using more than 30,000 bottle tops.
Dubbed ‘Bottlecelli’, the 25ft mural of The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli was commissioned by Lidl to celebrate the 253,000 plastic bottles and aluminium cans which have been collected and recycled in just one month through the retailer’s return scheme pilot.
Lidl teamed up with Glasgow mural artist Smug and the street art programme Yardworks to bring the mural to life and encourage more shoppers and passers-by to play their part in reducing plastic pollution.
With a free-hand painted base, the artwork is embellished in parts with a mix of bottle caps due to be recycled, as well as bottle caps already recycled through the scheme in the past month.
Lidl’s return scheme pilot launched in February and will run until August. Shoppers receive a 5p reward for each eligible item that they return, which can either be redeemed against their weekly shop or donated to Lidl’s long-standing charity partner, The STV Children’s appeal.
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The discount retailer anticipates the trial scheme will result in a minimum 10.5 tonnes of plastic and aluminium material being recycled each month, with the material set to be retained and used to create new plastic and aluminium products.
Marco Ivone, Lidl’s regional director for Scotland said: “Since launching last month, we’ve had an overwhelming response to our pilot return scheme and ‘Bottlecelli’ is an opportunity for us to give something back to the Glasgow community.
“We know our customers share our passion for sustainability, and saving money, and we hope even more people take advantage of the schemes as we continue to invest in ways to ensure recycling is as convenient as possible.”
In February this year, Lidl become the first supermarket to launch a deposit-free bottle return scheme trial in Glasgow. Also this year, Lidl said it was set to save 206 tonnes of carbon by switching from paper pricing tags to electronic shelf labels.
The retailer has also made a pledge to help all UK fruit and veg farmers achieve eco-certifications.
