Uber Eats trials home collection of reusable packaging

Uber Eats customers in central London will have the option to return reusable food packaging as part of a home collection trial that launched today.

The programme will run for six months through restaurant partners on the food delivery service, such as Donburi & Co, the Pepper Tree, Shawarma Hut and Viet Quan.

When ordering, Uber Eats customers can opt-in to receive their food in resusable packaging. After they have eaten their meal, they can scan a QR code to select a time for collection within the next three weeks.

Rinsed out containers will then be colleced by couriers using low or no-emission vehicles such as bikes, electric cars or vans.

Participating restaurants are situated within a 5km radius of project managing company Again in Kennington Park.

The reuse technology company was one of six firms to secure a portion of the £1.4m Bring It Back sustainable packaging fund supported by Hubbub and Starbucks.

The trial will measure the extent to which home collection services increase the uptake of reusable takeaway systems, as well as which incentives motivate customers to test the service.

Matt Kennedy, founder and chief executive at Again, said: “As we look ahead to 2030, we see that household collections will play a pivotal role in the scale-up of reusable packaging. We are creating an exciting future of low-cost household takeback for all products.”

Matthew Price, Uber Eats general manager, UK and Ireland, added: “This pilot aims to make reusable packing more accessible for customers and restaurants alike. We know consumers care about the impact that their decisions have on the environment, and we are delighted to be part of this innovative trial which is another step in our mission to do our part in helping the food delivery ecosystem transition to a cleaner and greener future

A survey conducted by Hubbub among 3,000 UK residents in April 2022 revealed that 67% of people want to reduce the amount of single-use packaging they use when purchasing food and drink.

It comes after Burger King UK trialled a range of re-usable packaging for burgers and sides across five sites in Ipswich and Suffolk between April and September 2022.