Sobey's recently opened the doors to a new store in Timberlea, Nova Scotia that boasts a unique grocery store parking lot. The lot is one of Canada's first parking lots paved using post-consumer plastics, which helps to divert waste from local landfills—in fact, the mixture used to create the asphalt paving for the parking lot contains the equivalent of over six million recycled single-use plastic bags.
When visiting the new Sobey's location, its in-store pharmacy, fresh salad and noodle bars, customers are invited to bring their own reusable bags to reduce waste.
While post-consumer recycled plastics are now being integrated into product packaging, they are also appearing in other applications in place of virgin materials.
Waste-Diverting Parking Lots
Sobeys' Grocery Store Parking Lot is Paved with PCR Plastics
Trend Themes
1. Post-consumer Recycled Plastics - Opportunity to incorporate post-consumer recycled plastics into various product packaging and applications.
2. Waste Diversion - Opportunity to address waste reduction and diversion by using post-consumer plastics in construction projects.
3. Reusable Bags - Opportunity to promote the use of reusable bags to reduce waste in grocery stores and retail environments.
Industry Implications
1. Construction - Disruptive innovation opportunity to use post-consumer recycled plastics in asphalt paving and other construction materials.
2. Packaging - Disruptive innovation opportunity to incorporate post-consumer recycled plastics into product packaging.
3. Retail - Disruptive innovation opportunity to encourage the use of reusable bags in grocery stores and retail environments.