Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency

2007 press releases

"Supermarkets should have waste packaging points" - Baker

Supermarkets will be forced to install waste packaging points in their stores under plans put forward today by Norman Baker, Lib Dem MP for Lewes. They should be required to provide containers between the checkout and the door where customers can dump unwanted packaging before they leave the shop, he says.

Up to one sixth of a family's annual food budget, or £470, is spent on packaging costs, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Figures compiled by Mr Baker show that around 17 billion plastic carrier bags are handed out by supermarkets every year.

The MP, who is chair of the All Party Parliamentary Environment Group, wants supermarkets to be made responsible for the disposal of their excess food packaging.

Mr Baker said: "The amount of waste from supermarket packaging is simply staggering. Why do croissants have to be put on plastic trays and then wrapped in plastic again? Why does a coconut need shrink-wrapping?

"Supermarkets should be obliged to have an area between the checkout and the door so that people can leave their excess packaging. I think we should bring the problem back to the people who are creating it."

Mr Baker also called for the introduction of a compulsory deposit scheme for plastic carrier bags. Customers would pay 20p for each bag, which would be refunded if the bag was returned.

"If they had billions of plastic bags and tonnes of unwanted waste in their shops, the supermarkets would have to find a way of dealing with them. At the moment they can simply export the problem to the customer and the nearest landfill site. A deposit scheme, rather than a straight plastic bag tax, is the best way to change this," he said.

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