Jane Milne

Director, Business Environment

Recycling and reducing waste – a new vision

Retailers supportthe Waste StrategyHierarchy

Retailing generates4.5% of wasteeach year, from 6% of GDP

Landfill and domestic/commercial waste

• Need to reduce amount of waste going to landfill

• Packaging is the main category of waste generated by retailers

• Packaging is 18% of domestic waste, 3% of total landfill

Reduce

• Reductions in material use – light-weighting

• More appropriate materials

• Innovative processes

• Managing perishables

Reduction: Packaging

• Asda has set a 25% reduction for own label food products by 2008

• Marks & Spencer reducing non-glass packaging by 25% by 2012

• Sainsbury set a 25% reduction for fresh produce by May 2008

• Tesco aim to reduce all packaging by 25% by 2010

• Waitrose aim to keep future packaging below 2002 levels

Action being taken on:

• Food

• DIY

• Upholstered furniture

• Kitchens/kitchen

appliances

• Reducing food waste also key – in-store and at home

• Well designed packaging, good stock management, and diversion schemes all play a part

Recycling initiatives • Retail industry committed to the principle of

reduce, re-use and recycle.• Involved in a number of initiatives to promote use

of reusable and degradable bags.

• Many retailers provide facilities for recycling a wide range of packaging at larger stores.

Food waste

• Need to avoid unnecessary waste and find a less damaging way to dispose of inevitable waste

• But 48% of local authorities have no plans for separate food waste collections

• And only 29% have or plan to introduce anaerobic digestion facilities

One third of food is thrown away at home

BRC/WRAP labelling consultation

Aims to provide consistent and clear information

• To help consumers to recycle more packaging, more often

• To encourage development of better recycling infrastructure

A tale of three cities:

• Chester

• Oldham

• Bolton

Courtesy of Urban Mines