Friends of the Earth reacts to Which? research on supermarket food packaging
Reacting to research from Which? into the lack of recyclable packaging used by supermarkets, Emma Priestland, plastics campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“Food waste is all too often used as an excuse by supermarkets reluctant to change their ways. Organic food waste can be reduced by having shorter supply chains, prioritising local, seasonal produce and ensuring that councils collect food waste so it can be composted. We need to see the ‘polluter pays’ principle in place to make sure supermarkets are helping to fund this at a local level.
“There is no excuse for this level of plastic use by supermarkets. They need to do far more, not just to make the plastic recyclable, but to avoid using it in the first place.
“Government legislation is needed to ensure all but the most essential uses of plastic are phased out, this problem is too important to wait for supermarkets to act voluntarily.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Previous research from Friends of the Europe and others has shown how plastic packaging does not solve the issue of food waste.