Shops must reduce wasteful packaging - Stunell

4.24.08pm GMT Tue 6th Mar 2007

Today, local MP Andrew Stunell introduced a Bill to the House of Commons to require all large shops to accept packaging returned by customers.

Commenting after presenting the Retail Packaging Recycling Bill to Parliament, Mr Stunell said:

"Over half of the amount of rubbish produced by an average Stockport home is packaging waste, costing families around £470 per year. My Bill will tackle this scandal head on.

"Commercial wrapping and packaging is very difficult to recycle, particularly at the household level, where quantities are quite small and very diverse.

"My Bill puts the responsibility back on the retailer. They will soon find out just how difficult much of it is to recycle because of different materials being bonded together.

"Similar laws in Germany and Switzerland quickly resulted in retailers putting pressure on suppliers and manufacturers to cut down on packaging, saving both money and land-fill."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The Government's Waste Resources Action Programme says that families spend £470 on packaging each year, one-sixth of their food budget.

Of the 30 million tons of household rubbish we produce every year, about a quarter by weight, and as much as 60 per cent by volume, is packaging waste.