Supermarket Packaging could cost UK dear says MEP (East Staffordshire Liberal Democrats)

East Staffordshire Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Supermarket Packaging could cost UK dear says MEP

February 18, 2009 12:00 AM
Originally published by West Midlands Liberal Democrats

Liz Lynne MEP. West Midlands Euro MP Liz Lynne has today warned that UK supermarkets need to cut the amount of non-recycling packaging they use if to UK is to avoid EU landfill fines in coming years.

The LibDem MEP's comments come after a report by the Local Government Association has concluded that non-recyclable packaging will have cost UK councils £1.8 billion between 2008 and 2011. With EU rules set to tighten and new fines be put in place in 2013, Liz said that dramatic action was needed to avoid huge additional costs.

The National Audit Office have already expressed scepticism at the UK's ability to meet the 2013 deadline for halving landfill waste, but Liz Lynne said that this was hardly surprising considering the amount of cellophane and plastic covering the food on our supermarket shelves.

Liz said:

"There is simply no need for the amount of throw away packaging that comes with each basket of shopping. We don't have to have our cucumbers wrapped in plastic and in other countries it just doesn't happen.

"We need to drastically reduce the amount of landfill waste we produce; in 2008 we were one of the worst countries in Europe at recycling what we use, we need to do better.

"The Government certainly needs to do far more to bring new recycling plants online and help local councils ensure recyclable waste doesn't end up in the landfill, but we also need the put pressure on supermarkets to change how they operate if we are to avoid both additional costs and environmental damage in the coming years."