A HIGH street retailer with a major store in York city centre has introduced reusable containers into their stores to try and cut down on plastic waste.

Marks and Spencers is helping customers in York to reduce single-use packaging by introducing a reusable container for 'fresh food-to-go' produce at it’s Market Place counters - including those at their Parliament Street store in York.

The new scheme hopes to persuade customers to bring their own reusable containers for lunch-to-go by offering a 25p discount off each meal they buy.

M&S Market Place is available in 23 stores across the country with a counter top service offering a variety of hot and cold lunch-to-go options.

The chain is aiming to encourage a change in consumer behaviour and reduce the use of disposable items on the high street.

Paul Willgoss, Director of Food Technology at M&S, said: “Our priority is to reduce single-use packaging and ensure any we do use can be reused or recycled, as we work towards our 2022 target for all our packaging to be widely recyclable.”