Supermarkets Urged to Cut Down on Food Packaging | 40 per cent of Household Shopping Cannot be Recycled

12.00.00am GMT Tue 30th Oct 2007

Supermarkets have to curb their addiction to packaging if councils are to meet new tougher landfill targets

Local councils will fail to meet tough recycling targets if food package waste is not tackled, warns a senior member of the National Assembly for Wales.

Michael German AM, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the National Assembly for Wales was speaking after the publication of research by the Local Government Association (LGA) showed that up to 40 per cent of household shopping cannot, at present, be recycled.

The LGA commissioned British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) Social Research to buy a range of 29 common food items representing a regular shopping basket from six household name supermarkets - Morrisons , Asda, Lidl, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, and Tesco - a local high street and a large market.

But according to a report, less M&S food packaging can be recycled than any of its main rivals. Research from the Local Government Association released today revealed that just 60% of M&S packaging was recyclable, compared with the best performing supermarket in the survey, Asda, where 70% of packaging could be recycled. Both were beaten by market traders, whose packaging was 79% recycleable.

Mr. German said, "Local councils and individuals are working hard to reduce the amount we put into landfill. However all of these efforts are being frustrated by the amount of food packaging from the supermarket chains."

"There's an urgent need for the supermarkets to stop dumping excess packaging on people. It's shocking to see Marks & Spencer, a company that prides itself on it's environmental credentials, behind it's rivals when their food packaging is examined for ease of recycling."

Local authorities in Wales and the UK are racing to meet European Union recycling targets and to avoid fines, which for the whole the country could amount to £3 billion.

Phil Hobson, leader of the Lib Dems on Monmouthshire Council and their general election candidate, is known for his keen interest in recycling matters. However, he says that he has serious concerns whether Monmouthshire could meet new tougher targets from the Welsh Assembly Government unless packaging waste is tackled urgently.

He said, "People are making great efforts to recycle here. However, in other countries in Europe, local councils are working with supermarkets to reduce waste and packaging. We have to do the same here. If we don't, residents are going to foot the bill for the supermarket's unnecessary packaging. They sell us the stuff all packaged and we pay for their excess."