A Bolton restaurant is going green.

wagamama, which has a branch in Middlebrook, is replacing more than eight million delivery bowls with new packaging using recyclable material.

The decision will remove up to 330 tonnes of virgin plastic from the supply chain every year.

The new packaging, made from cPET, will reduce the carbon footprint of the brand’s most popular dish – the katsu curry – by 62 per cent.

The new packaging material make-up is the result of four years of planning, and advice from leading plastic experts, UK waste collectors, suppliers and cutting-edge product designers.

It is designed to help tackle the world’s increasing plastic pollution problem.

Alongside the new packaging initiative, wagamama will also be launching its bowl return programme ‘Bowl Bank’, created in response to the varied practices of the UK waste streams.

wagamama’s new initiative is aiming to take ownership of its waste, inviting guests to return their packaging to their local restaurant. Bowl Bank will be available in every wagamama restaurant by October 2022.

wagamama CEO Thomas Heier said: “We are in a fortunate position that wagamama is much-loved by consumers, but we know this comes with a huge responsibility.

“Reducing our use of virgin plastics is a complicated mission – but one we have been dedicated to for four years. This has been driven by the belief that we needed do better for our guests, teams and the planet.

“Months of trial and error, conversations with leading experts, and research into UK waste streams has resulted in a moment where we can finally say we’re proud of our packaging. Proving small choices make for big change and sustainable progress doesn’t happen overnight. This is an exciting and overdue step for us but only the beginning.”