Prosecute suppliers for excess packaging, say Lib Dems
Selling products in excessive amounts of packaging should be treated as a trading standards issue akin to selling out of date food, the Liberal Democrats said today.
Liberal Democrats voted to hand the Trading Standards Office powers to enforce against excess packaging.
Delegates at the Lib Dem conference also called for a new national body to regulate the industry, with powers to prosecute large scale producers for excess packaging.
Large supermarkets should also be made to provide waste points in store so customers can remove excess packaging for recycling before they leave the store, Liberal Democrats agreed.
After approving broad based environmental policies on Monday, the Liberal Democrats today focused on excess packaging, condemning efforts to date from the government and supermarkets.
The Liberal Democrats argue the government has done little to tackle the rise in household waste since 1997, with 26 million tonnes produced annually, five million tonnes of which is packaging.
Furthermore, the government has missed packaging targets set by the European Union, adopted in 1997 through Producer Responsibility Obligations.
Defra’s current approach is not working, Lib Dem delegates agreed today.
Conference voted to replace the Courtauld Commitment to reduce packaging – which has been adopted by 92 per cent of the grocery sector but relies on a voluntary commitment – with mandatory packaging commitments for producers and retailers.
Moved by Jo Swinson, the motion called for a plastic bag deposit scheme, where customers pay for plastic carrier bags and are refunded if they re-use them.
The government and supermarkets have so far failed to significantly reduce plastic bag use, Liberal Democrats claim, with 17 billion given away annually.
Delegates applauded community efforts, such as Modbury’s ban on plastic bags, and said these should be encouraged.
Despite media campaigns against excess packaging and a fashion scramble for the Anya Hindmarch re-usable bag, it remains to be seen whether the war on packaging will capture the public’s imagination.
