Feb 2011

RTFOE has campaigned in the past to highlight the excess of packaging used for large numbers of products that are especially sold in supermarkets. Following one of our meetings, where we discussed the alarming amount of plastic found in ocean water, we decided to follow up with local stores and ask what progress they are making.

This fits in with another Richmond group - Greener Upon Thames- campaign vision of zero-waste, where and plastic bags and throwaway plastic are a thing of the past.

Letters have been sent to the 3 big name supermarkets in the borough – Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose.

We asked about:

• Progress in simplification of packaging -reduction of coloured and opaque plastic wrappers, which make recycling harder.
• How are the stores trying to educate the public to change attitudes?
• How is any plastic collected in the store recycled or re-used?

We realise progress is not all up to stores. We all need to help. So we asked if the group could assist the store in moving forward with these issues.

Hopefully we will get some good responses, and see where this leads us.

Read more about how you can expose the very worst of over packaging and 10 things you can do