Local authority officers aired their frustration with local supermarkets’ apparent lack of commitment to recycling at a Rethink Rubbish event this week.
One council officer said: “Supermarkets are more than willing to allow us to hold events at their stores, but it’s really hard to get supermarkets to take recycling banks.” Another delegate complained that recycling areas in supermarket carparks are often a “bleak contrast” to the clean, well kept supermarkets.
Responding to the criticisms, Sainsbury’s spokesman James McKechnie admitted: “Recycling banks are the weakest areas of our sites, but we do recognise that recycling banks are necessary to meet local authorities’ targets.”
He added that Sainsbury's believe councils lack the necessary funding to keep recycling facilities at supermarkets clean and regularly emptied. Sainsbury’s has 3,000 bring banks on its supermarket sites.
Mr McKechnie suggested that funds from supermarket packaging waste recovery obligations could be used by local stores to improve their recycling areas and increase collection frequencies. He said: “Currently, there are parallel recycling targets for local authorities and retailers and so there is little overlap between priorities. I don’t see why there can’t be an overlap between the two targets – we both have an interest in recycling baked bean cans, for example.”
Sainsbury's is one of 12 retailers working with Rethink Rubbish to spread the waste reduction, reuse and recycling message. Other companies already involved include Argos, Tesco, Boots and B&Q;, though organisers of the campaign are looking for other firms to join, as well as more local authorities on top of the 134 already on board (see letsrecycle.com story).
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