Will we really dump it at the checkout?
The Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw has suggested that the best way to deal with excessive packaging is to dump it at the checkout, forcing supermarkets to deal with it. One example of wasteful packaging Bradshaw mentions is 4 apples in a polystyrene tray wrapped in plastic - which can’t be recycled.
Clearly we need to do more to tackle waste. Yesterday’s Today programme mentioned that we throw out our body weight in waste every 2 months. The Waste and Resources Action Plan is also far from meeting its targets. Unfortunately there’s not enough incentive - yet!
Supermarkets sell goods, such as the apples in a polystyrene tray, for a premium, because the shopper is convinced that those apples are picked from magic trees more hygienic and look prettier (that’s usually the plastic that makes them look shiny). It’s also a matter of convenience - think how many seconds you save grabbing pre-packed fruit and veg instead of choosing them for yourself. It’s this that has to be dealt with.
One way forward would be the one layer policy i’ve mentioned before - but this won’t tackle the above problem. For that you have to convince people to dump their packaging at the checkout. That incentive isn’t present yet.