The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has thrown the blame for any limitations on what is 'recyclable' back at UK local authorities and the huge variation in what materials are collected where.
Environmental policy executive Farah Nazeer says: "Different policies among authorities are contributing to confusion, not just among consumers, but among retailers regarding the materials they should use."
Individual retailers will always pursue points of difference in their policies, as in their products and packaging, she says. But she predicts: "If there were greater standardisation among local authorities and a sensible rationalisation of materials collected, this would be reflected in the retail sector."
The debate has intensified following a report from the Local Government Association (LGA) which found that up to 38% of retail packaging could not be recycled. Surprisingly, Marks & Spencer (M&S) was among those hitting this lowest level of recyclable materials, the LGA claimed.
Helene Roberts, head of food packaging at M&S, hit back by criticising the "skewed sample of 29 out of our 5,500 lines". She claimed that over 90% of the chain's packaging was recyclable, and said: "Further improvements to recycling across the UK are limited by the current facilities provided by local authorities."
The BRC has worked to develop a new identification system for packaging which aims to give consumer guidance regarding recyclability and disposal. According to Nazeer, after external and internal consultation, the system should be ready for implementation by September. Currently, though, the 'check local recycling' category looms large, and even the 'widely recycled' category only refers to materials collected by over 65% of authorities.
Says Nazeer: "It doesn't make it any easier to design for recycling when you are working to 600-plus different models."
Currently, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs argues for a decentralised approach to waste planning, with local conditions determining what is collected for recovery, and how it is collected.