Costing a packet - minimising packaging waste

Everyone, including manufacturers and retailers, wants as little packaging as possible. However, the UK produces approximately 11 million tonnes of packaging waste every year. Defra estimates that around half of this packaging waste comes from the commercial and industrial waste stream and half from household waste. The vast majority of consumer packaging waste is collected by local authorities.

London boroughs are increasingly concerned at the amount of packaging entering household waste streams and the costs incurred by local authorities in collecting and disposing of these items.

London Councils held a breakfast workshop in May 2011, bringing together key stakeholders from the local authority, packaging and retail sectors. The meeting discussed what could be rolled out on a pan-London basis to move London towards significant reductions in packaging waste generation and increase recycling. The event threw up a range of ideas from using corn starch bags as an alternative to plastic bags to the introduction of deposit schemes.

This paper outlines the key points raised during the breakfast meeting and sets out London Councils’ position on these issues. The final section of this paper identifies four key priorities which emerged for London Councils, and sets out some proposed ways forward for 2011 - 2013.  To read the paper click here Opens in a new window.