Ceepackaging

Environment

Supermarkets foil recycling

A survey for the Local Government Association also found that 5 per cent of the contents of shopping baskets were made up of packaging. Lidl supermarket had the heaviest packaging, while Marks & Spencer had the lowest levels of wrapping that could be recycled (60 per cent). Asda was the best performing supermarket, with the lightest packaging, of which 70 per cent was recyclable.

Paul Bettison, of the association, said: “People are working to increase their recycling rates, but their efforts are being hamstrung by needlessly overpackaged products. Many supermarkets are taking action to cut back on excessive packaging, but there is an urgent need to do more. Councils and council taxpayers are facing fines of up to £3 billion if we do not dramatically reduce the waste thrown into landfill.”

The survey, by the British Market Research Bureau, covered 29 common food items and six supermarkets – Asda, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. They were also compared with corner shops and market stalls. The market had the lightest packaging, of which 79 per cent was recyclable.