Aldi testing self-serve loose pasta stations to reduce packaging waste

The 'Pasta and Rice' refill station, launching as a trial run in the UK, is part of the discount grocer's plan to remove more than 21 million pieces of packaging from stores annually

Pasta lovers have a chance to belly up to a limitless amount at this grocer aiming to reduce waste. 

Aldi is testing out selling pasta from dispensers where shoppers could in theory buy as much as they want in an effort to cut down on plastic and packaging, the chain announced Wednesday. The supermarket will also sell rice in a similar fashion. 

Aldi is testing out selling loose pasta in the U.K. in an effort to remove millions of pieces of plastic from stores annually.  (iStock)

Under the budget supermarket’s new trial, being tested out in the U.K. to start, shoppers could buy refills of pasta or rice and pay by the weight. Shoppers will be given free, recyclable paper bags in the chain’s Cumbria, England location to browse through the offerings which will be officially named the "Pasta and Rice refill station," according to a press release. 

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Customers can browse through an assortment of pasta shapes like wholewheat fusilli, penne pasta, basmati rice and others. The aim, the store says, is to remove more than 21 million pieces of packaging from stores annually. 

 "We’re always looking for new ways to reduce waste plastic and limit packaging, as many of our shoppers are increasingly conscious of the environment and their impact on it," Aldi’s plastic and packaging director Richard Gorman said in a statement. 

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Aldi stores in the U.S., meanwhile, are continuing to expand. The retailer in February announced it was opening 100 locations across the country this year and growing its e-commerce business online. The new locations will be in Florida, California, Arizona and the Northeast, the grocer said.