| MP Asks Supermarkets to Recycle Christmas Profits |
| Wednesday, 02 January 2008 | |
Southport MP John Pugh wrote to local supermarkets urging them to do more to encourage recycling in the town. With local people drowning in a sea of Christmas packaging, the MP is concerned that supermarkets aren't pulling their weight in regards to providing facilities for people to recycle.
He asked them whether they would be prepared to do more to help and support financially recycling collection facilities on their site. Currently supermarkets simply offer car park space. The costs are born by the local authority.  "It would be good if some of the thousands of pounds spent in their tills by local people over the festive period helped to ensure that though this Christmas wasn't a white one, it can at least be a green one." The MP contacted Sainsbury's, Tesco. Asda, and Morrisons, and though encouraged by the responses he received, he is convinced that they can still do more. "While all local stores now offer some form of recycling, there is a lot more that can be done. The excellent new facilities at the re-cycling centre in Kew are a model all the supermarkets can learn from. I was told in some cases there simply wasn't room for additional facilities, but surely the benefit of recycling outweighs the need for a couple of extra car-parking spaces? It's the supermarkets who create excess packaging, I think it's only fair that they help local people recycle it by helping fund new and existing facilities. I'd like people to be able to recycle more household waste - not just plastics - on a single shopping trip. With the supermarkets help we can make this a reality." Photo: Southport's MP recycles the cardboard container of a flat panel computer monitor he recently bought - and making sure the monitor is removed first is wise precaution... |