Shoppers are tired of too much packaging, polling by YouGov for
the Local Government Association has found.
The research found that 71 per cent of people believe
supermarkets and retailers use too much packaging. Nine in 10 (88
per cent) believe only recyclable material should be used, and
that it should have clearer labelling.
Councils are calling on all political parties to pledge to
introduce the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme,
which will shift the costs of dealing with waste from taxpayers
on to the producers with incentives to help reduce and recycle.
LGA and YouGov polling also found that:
- 85 per cent of people think companies should be required by
Government to reduce the amount of packaging used
- Councils are six times more likely to be trusted to run waste
and recycling services (52 per cent) than the Government (6 per
cent) or industry (8 per cent)
- The public are 12 times more likely to think costs in
reducing packaging should be met by companies producing it (48
per cent) rather than councils dealing with it (4 per cent).
The LGA is also calling on the Government to ensure that councils
will continue to have the autonomy to run waste and recycling
services in a way to suits the needs of their individual
communities, and to ensure they receive the funding needed to
deliver local waste services in good time to enable long-term
planning.
The reforms rest alongside the ‘simpler recycling’ changes that
provide greater consistency to waste and recycling services
provided by councils around the country.
Looking further ahead, councils want to see the Extended Producer
Responsibility scheme expanded to include other items, such as
littering and furniture.
Cllr , environment spokesperson
for the LGA said:
“Public satisfaction with waste services remains high, it is
something councils work hard to achieve and we are pleased to see
the public most trust councils to lead local waste services.
“Good packaging is essential for keeping products fresh and
intact, and producers are doing more to reduce waste and support
recycling. But everybody can see the levels of waste, across our
shop shelves, delivered to our homes, and into our bins. Councils
see it every day and spend millions dealing with it.
“We support reforms for packaging taking responsibility for
meeting costs and in helping further reduce and recycle packaging
waste, it is crucial that the costs are met and that councils
continue to lead local waste and recycling services.”
Notes to editors
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.
Total sample size was 2,112 adults. Fieldwork was
undertaken between 1st - 2nd November 2023. The survey was
carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are
representative of all adults in England and Wales (aged 18+).
