Greenpeace offers to work with industry to promote recycling

But it reiterated its opposition to energy-from-waste plants, and said it would continue to use direct action to protest against them.

Executive director Stephen Tindale told the IWM's opening ceremony in Torbay: “We are not particularly good at putting forward our positive message and it's something we are striving to improve on. Perhaps we could work together with the waste industry on this?”

Mr Tindale was speaking the day after Greenpeace protestors occupied an Onyx energy-from-waste plant building site near Basingstoke.

Asked by a delegate from WRAP how his organisation could use its knack for publicity to promote recycling, he answered: “We know that we can set a good example by trying to become a 'zero waste' organisation and we can put pressure on government to legislate. But in terms of engaging the public we are not as advanced as we could be.”

Despite critical questions from delegates about Greenpeace’s stance on incineration, Mr Tindale – who was a controversial choice of speaker – stressed his wish to work alongside industry members.

“It may appear that we are two warring factions, but I hope some agreement is possible,” he said.

“What we all want to do is see waste management sustained in the UK. If the alternatives to incineration are more expensive then that requires central government to step in and help move us to a more sustainable waste management. This is a government that perhaps more than any other government listens to the voice of industry, so if we join together we'll have a powerful voice. We are prepared to join with you for that.”

Shanks chief executive Michael Averill, who also addressed the conference, said he had a lot of sympathy for Mr Tindales' comments on the need to tackle government, and agreed that everyone involved in waste management should want to provide a better environment.

But Mr Tindale insisted that the occupation of incinerator sites was necessary. “Greenpeace thinks that incineration of waste is a very bad idea indeed and we will continue to take direct action against it. This is always non-violent and we don't believe that we are above the laws. We believe that individual laws need to be changed where we think they're wrong.”