Retailers hit back over councils' packaging waste claims

Thursday, 29 May 2008

Retailers have hit back over a report by the Local Government Association (LGA) that claims they are making little progress in increasing recyclable packaging.

The LGA study claimed up to 38% of packaging in a regular household shopping basket cannot be recycled.

That figure represents an improvement of just two percentage points from October 2007, when the figure stood at 40%.

Lidl had the heaviest packaging for a basket of common food items(813g).

Lidl and Marks & Spencer (M&S) had the lowest level of packaging that could be recycled, at 62%.

Asda's packaging weighed the least among the major supermarkets at 646g, 69% of which was recyclable.

The average weight of packaging had been cut by 5% since the last survey.

But M&S said the report was wrong.

Dr Helene Roberts, head of packaging (food) at the retailer, said: "From our independently audited data, we know that 91% of our food packaging is recyclable.

"The LGA has chosen to only look at a skewed sample of 29 products.

"The real issue at the moment is the inconsistency of recycling facilities across the UK."

The British Retail Consortium called on councils to improve recycling facilities rather than try to shift the responsibility onto retailers.

BRC director general Stephen Robertson added: "Packaging plays a key part in reducing waste by preventing food deteriorating and goods being damaged.

"The environmental cost of wasted food is much greater than the packaging used to stop that waste.