Pay packaging recycling costs, stores told

A report that supermarkets are using too much food packaging and should contribute to the cost of dealing with such packaging has been labeled \"nonsense\" and \"naive\" by today\'s industry
Research by the Local Government Association (LGA)
He said that people\'s efforts to recycle garbage were destroyed by the shops they were shopping.
According to the report, although the weight of supermarket food packaging has declined in the past two years, there are still close packages that are not easy to recycle.
But the British Retail Association (BRC)
The survey did not recognize the key role of packaging in preserving food and thus reducing waste.
Bob Gordon, its environmental director, said: \"It\'s nonsense to suggest retailers pack their goods in a large amount of unnecessary packaging.
It\'s just a meaningless cost.
Packaging reduces waste by protecting and saving products.
\"Jane bikelstaff, director of the packaging and Environmental Industry Board, added:\" This report is childish, shows an extreme lack of knowledge about modern supply chains and the knowledge needed to provide food to countries of 60 million people.
\"The products have different supply chains and different quantities of shipping packages.
Some products have a very short shelf life and others have a longer shelf life.
The number of packages must reflect this.
\"The LGA report argues that supermarkets should contribute to the cost of recycling and waste disposal services so that they are encouraged to produce less packaging.
This will not only make recycling easier and affordable, but will also ease the burden on local government landfill taxes, the report said.
Landfill tax costs 32 per ton of garbage thrown away
By 2010, the figure will rise to £ 48 a tonne.
This means an estimated £ 1 by 2011.
It will cost 8 billion pounds since 2008.
Cllr Margaret Eaton, chairman of LGA, said: \"The UK is a European bin, and there is more garbage thrown into the landfill than in almost any other country in Europe.
\"Taxpayers do not want to see their money used to pay landfill taxes and EU fines, as taxes on the EU Council may be reduced.
\"In our recession, when shoppers feel the pinch, we have to move on from a world where we tolerate plastic wrap coconuts and canned baked beans packed in shrink.
The family is tired of bringing home so much packaging from the supermarket.
\"If we have less unnecessary packaging, it will reduce costs and lead to lower prices for tills,\" she added . \"
When packaging is sent to landfill, it is expensive for taxpayers and harmful to the environment.
\"Supermarkets need to improve their level of play so it\'s easier for people to do their part to help the environment.
If retailers make unnecessary garbage, they should help taxpayers by paying for recycling.
British bureau of market research (BMRB)
Commissioned by LGA, eight supermarkets and the type and weight of food packaging they use in a typical shopping basket were viewed.
The survey found that Sainsbury has the highest packaging level and is easy to recycle (67 per cent)
The lowest Lidl (58 per cent).
White Rose has the heaviest packaging, and Tesco has the lightest packaging.
LGA said that since the first survey in October 2007, the weight of food packaging has generally declined, but the proportion of recyclables has not changed much.
Gordon of the British Retail Association said: \"Retailers pay more than 5 billion pounds of commercial fees to local governments every year.
The biggest obstacle to recycling is the failure of local authorities to agree on the materials they are preparing for recycling.
A spokeswoman added: \"Since 2001, witrose has reduced the packaging weight of the product by more than three.
\"We are disappointed that LGA does not allow us to see a copy of the report, nor does it allow us to provide us with the right to reply to the claim before the report is released.
\"We are currently reviewing the report and think it is misleading.
It can\'t use a precise comparison.
Compared to the 500g tomato punnet in most other stores, the 250g tomato punnet in vitross.
An accurate way to evaluate the packaging is to compare every 100g of product.