Stores to face packaging deluge

12:30pm Friday 7th December 2007

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PEOPLE are being urged to take action against supermarkets on Sturday December 15 by returning excess packaging to stores in a bid to reduce household waste.

The Action Day on Waste protest is over the amount of extra packaging, such as that around trays of baking potatoes and tomatoes, and bags which are not recyclable bags provided to carry vegetables.

Cllr Pip Ridout, a town and district councillor for Warminster, said: "We don't want the extra packaging. We didn't ask for it. We are not using recyclable materials enough and there's no reason why not. It's going to impact on council tax much more than people think."

Tesco in Trowbridge and Iceland, Lidl and Morrisons in Warminster are just some of the supermarkets being targeted.

While supermarkets can do nothing about packaging from outside sources, the councillors believe they can do more to curb packaging on own-brand items, fruit and vegetables.

Cllr Ridout said: "We are not blaming the supermarkets but they could take a stance about it. It should be that the packaging materials they use are materials we can recycle."

Cllr Ridout and Cllr Denison-Pender are hoping community partnership groups, chambers of commerce, the U3A and schools will join their campaign.

People are encouraged to either return their excess packaging to stores or to take it off at the till before leaving the shop tomorrow.

Cllr Denison-Pender, a town and district councillor for Westbury, said: "If enough people do it on the same day it will make more of an impact. If the mentality about packaging changes it will save a huge amount of waste."