Environment minister Ben Bradshaw has told major supermarkets that they need to do more to reduce the amount of packaging and food waste going through their stores.
Bradshaw today addressed a summit of 13 of the country's top grocery retailers, and insisted that progress towards a target of recycling 70 per cent of all packaging waste by 2010 is too slow.
The minister was hosting the meeting with Jennie Price, chief Executive of WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), to mark a year since the establishment of the Courtauld Commitment, which aims to reduce the amount of packaging and food waste that ends up as landfill.
He admitted to being “impressed” with retailers' commitment to cut waste over the last year, Bradshaw, but said “action has to go further and has to be more visible to consumers”.
Bradshaw added: “Until the supermarkets demonstrate clearly that they are willing to lead by example we cannot expect consumers to get fully engaged with reducing their own waste.
“Unnecessary and excessive packaging and waste contributes to dangerous climate change. It also adds to the cost to local authorities and the public of managing waste.”
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons were all at the meeting.
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