"Many countries on the continent operate a system where retailers contribute towards household collection and recycling services. This acts as an incentive for them not to produce excessive packaging in the first place"
Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board
London: The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on the Government to make retailers and producers responsible for funding the collection of packaging so they are incentivised to cut back on it in the first place. The organisation says that other countries in the European Union operate a system where companies contribute towards recycling services and household collections.
The call for action follows the LGA's publication today (Thurs) of its second investigation into the weight of retailer packaging and how much of it can be recycled.
The research shows that up to 38 per cent of packaging in a regular household shopping basket cannot be recycled. However, the first survey, published in October 2007, put the equivalent figure at 40 per cent revealing a two percentage reduction.
The work undertaken by British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) on behalf of the LGA, involved purchasing a range of common food items from eight retailers. Analysis found that local retailers and market traders produced less packaging and more that could be recycled compared with the larger supermarkets.
The report shows that the supermarket with the heaviest packaging was Lidl (813 grams). Lidl and Marks & Spencer had the lowest level of packaging that could be recycled (62 per cent). Asda's packaging weighed least among the major supermarkets – 646 grams, 69 per cent of which was recyclable. Packaging weighed least of all in a local market - 617 grams - and 76 per cent of it was recyclable.
Findings show that most retailers have a lower weight of packaging than in the first survey with the average weight of packaging reduced by five per cent - a move in the right direction - though the proportion that is recyclable has changed little.
This reduction in packaging has been highlighted by INCPEN (Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment) as demonstrating the progress being made (see below). Packaging prevents food deteriorating too quickly and becoming waste itself.
INCPEN says representing one sector's interests above others is counter productive - co-operation is required or the environment may suffer.
Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said:
“The days of the cling film coconut must come to an end. We all have a responsibility to reduce the amount of waste being thrown into landfill, which is damaging the environment and contributing to climate change.
“Families will be pleased to see that more packaging in their shopping baskets can now be recycled. However, this survey shows there is still a lot further to go. Reducing packaging is vital if we are to avoid paying more landfill tax and EU fines, which could lead to cuts in frontline services and increases in council tax.”
Household recycling rates have increased to 33 per cent in England as local people endeavour to reduce the amount of waste disposed to landfill – but the LGA says this figure must continue to rise.
Landfill tax
Councils have to pay £32 in tax for every tonne of municipal waste sent to landfill, with the figure set to rise to £48 a tonne by 2010. There is also the threat of national fines from the European Union - £150 per tonne of material exceeding the target -, should the UK fail to achieve the initial Landfill Directive target for 2010. The main worry is meeting the 2013 target, and the LGA suggests this could cost an estimated £200 million.
Cllr Bettison added:
“Some packaging is often needed, particularly to prevent food becoming spoilt and then ending up in landfill sites. Many retailers are also taking some very positive environmental initiatives, such as Marks & Spencer agreeing to work with councils to part-fund a recycling plant in East London. The LGA is in very constructive discussions with some of the leading supermarkets, and we hope this dialogue will lead to further steps in the direction of reducing packaging.”
“Many countries on the continent operate a system where retailers contribute towards household collection and recycling services. This acts as an incentive for them not to produce excessive packaging in the first place. Government urgently needs to change its approach so retailers are incentivised to minimise unnecessary packaging and support maximum recycling.”
INCPEN's response to the LGA announcement
Under the heading "Use your loaf: Packaging PREVENTS Waste", INCPEN have responded to the LGA's announcement.
The organisation points out that packaging waste is going down, not up - which is verified in the LGA's statement which says packaging has decreased by 5% since the last report.
DEFRA statistics show that packaging contributes 18% of household waste which represents about 3% - by weight and volume – of landfilled waste. Almost 60% of used packaging was recycled in 2006 – 5.5 million tonnes - up from 27% in 1998, according to the organisation.
INCPEN says that the LGA recommends using paper bags, instead of plastic, to wrap bread. Jane Bickerstaffe, Director of INCPEN responded:
“Paper bags have their uses but they will not keep bread fresh, only plastic can do that. Throwing away half a loaf is much more wasteful than throwing away a thin plastic bag because ten times more energy and materials are used to make products than are used to make the packaging that protects them.”
Households also generate 6.7 million tonnes of food waste, more than half of which was originally edible according to WRAP research.
INCPEN approaches from a different direction to the LGA and takes the view that if (say) 30% of packaging cannot be recycled, then this means that 70% can be.
The organisation goes on to say: "However, the LGA’s measure of recyclability is meaningless. It takes no account of how clean the packaging is. Recycling is worth doing when it yields a net environmental gain but it doesn’t make environmental sense to consume more energy, materials and water to transport and clean small amounts of food-contaminated material.
"Recyclability is only one part of a product’s environmental footprint. Product wastage and energy use are much more important. If the product that’s inside the packaging is wasted, that’s the environmental disaster."
Packaging companies and retailers are ahead of most others in reducing their environmental footprint, not only by reducing packaging but also by recycling more, according to INCPEN.
The organisation claims that industry paid over £50 million to support recycling - £35 million of which funded recycling household packaging - last year.
INCPEN considers it is time the public recognised that packaging companies and retailers actually "make the job of living our lives and managing the resulting waste easier".
"Environmental issues are complex and all of us need to work together to tackle them – that means industry, consumers and local government cooperating. Promoting one sector’s interests above the others is pointless and counter-productive – it’s the environment that suffers", says the organisation.
INCPEN points out that the UK uses less packaging per person than most EU countries at 147 kg per capita in 2005 compared with 158 kg for Germany, 172 kg for the Netherlands and 162 kg for France (excludes wood).
Essential Requirement Regulations
In addition the organisation says packaging has grown less in the only 2 member states (UK, France) that enforce the Essential Requirements Regulations (ERR) than in the rest of the EU-15 countries (which excludes the 12 new member states).
The ERR implement provisions of the European Parliament and Council Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC) relating to the essential requirements to be satisfied by packaging in order to circulate freely on the single market and aim to minimise the amount of waste packaging generated at source as well as ensuring that packaging can be reused, recovered or recycled.
In summary the essential requirements are that packaging volume and weight must be the minimum amount to maintain necessary levels of safety, hygiene and acceptance for the packed product and for the consumer. The packaging must be manufactured so as to permit reuse or recovery in accordance with specific requirements (recovery could of course mean recovery of energy as well as recycling). Also noxious or hazardous substances in packaging must be minimised in emissions, ash or leachate from incineration or landfill. A number of toxic metals also are restricted in use in packaging.
Further information
A summary of the LGA report can be viewed at
http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/593234 .
A summary of the LGA’s first packaging survey is available at
http://www.lgar.local.gov.uk/lgv/core/page.do?pageId=50589 .
For help with regulations on packaging waste visit NetRegs at
http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/275207/275453/?version=1&lang=_e .
BMRB
BMRB Social Research is one of the largest providers of public policy research in the UK and provides dedicated expertise in conducting social policy research for clients in the public and not-for-profit sectors. It works for clients across a wide range of policy areas conducting large and complex studies such as the British Crime Survey.
The company says it is one of the leading market research agencies in the UK and a key operating company within the Millward Brown Group which, in turn, is part of Kantar, WPP's insight, information and consultancy division.
For more information visit www.bmrb.co.uk .
INCPEN
The Industry Council for Packaging & the Environment is a research organisations set up in 1974 to study the environmental and social impact of packaging. It draws together an influential group of companies that operate throughout the supply chain and share a common interest in packaging, the environment and sustainable development.
For further information visit www.incpen.co.uk .