SUPERMARKET TO END SALE OF DISPOSABLE BARBECUES TO HELP SAFEGUARD COUNTRYSIDE

Fire risk when used irresponsibly

ALDI has become the first UK supermarket to ban the sale of disposable barbecues nationwide in a bid to protect the nation’s forests and wildlife.

The barbecues are a problem on the coast and in beauty spots locally - for instance, the RSPB reserve at Tetney Marshes - because they create fire risk, threaten wildlife and create litter.

There have also been instances of garden fences being set alight. 

The ban across all Aldi UK stores will also lead to the removal of approximately 35 tonnes of single-use waste packaging.

Says Liz Fox, Aldi UK's corporate responsibility director: "We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and know that many of our shoppers are increasingly looking to do the same."

It is undertood that other retailers, such as Waitrose, are also looking to cease sales of disposable barbecues.

Co-op does not sell such barbecues in shops located with a 100-mile radious of national parks. 

The move has been welcomed Amanda Craig, director of people & nature at Natural England, who omments: "We welcome any step that helps people act more responsibly while enjoying the countryside."

Aldi previously stopped selling disposable barbecues at its Buxton store, located close to the Peak District National Park, in June last year.                                       

Too often spent barbecues are left as litter