Aldi is to trial removing plastic from some fresh vegetables in Cumbria as part of its campaign to cut waste packaging.

Following the success of a trial selling five loose fresh produce lines without plastic wrapping in Scotland, the supermarket now intends to sell the plastic-free vegetables across parts of England.

If the trial – which applies to loose savoy cabbage, red cabbage, white cabbage, pointed cabbage and cauliflower – is successful, it will be rolled out to all Aldi’s 830 UK stores by the end of the year.

It is estimated that the move could avoid the use of more than 100 tonnes of plastic a year nationwide.

Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Cutting waste is at the heart of what we do. Where we can, our aim is to remove unnecessary plastic entirely. Where we can’t do that, we are committed to ensuring that packaging doesn’t end up as waste by ensuring that all ours is recyclable, reusable or compostable.