Supermarkets have been blamed for the rising levels of rubbish which could cost councils £1.8bn. The Local Government Association singled out major food retailers as the worst offenders for excessive food packaging. The group warned that unless concerted action was taken, councils would face an estimated £1.8bn in landfill tax payments between 2008 and 2011, which would have to be paid by residents. The LGA is calling on the Government to make retailers responsible for funding the collection of packaging. In its third survey of the food packaging industry, the LGA found, in a typical basket of shopping, that almost 40% of supermarket food packaging could not be easily recycled. Sainsbury's came out on top, with the highest level of packaging which could be easily recycled at 67%. Landfill tax costs councils £32 for every tonne of rubbish they throw away – a figure which will rise to £48 a tonne by 2010. LGA chairman, Cllr Margaret Eaton, said: ‘If retailers create unnecessary waste, they should help pay for it to be recycled.' The British Market Research Bureau was commissioned to look at eight supermarkets and the weight of food packaging they used in a typical shopping basket. The survey found Waitrose had the heaviest packaging and Lidl had the lowest level that could be easily recycled.
