Local campaigner Anthony Fairclough is aiming to make supermarkets in Wimbledon think twice before stocking excessively packaged goods.

UK households send over 5 million tones of waste packaging to landfill each year.

Anthony Fairclough said:

"Like many people, I am appalled by the wasteful packaging of so many everyday products. Shockingly, of the money each household spends on food in a year, one-sixth of it around £470 per family is actually spent on the packaging.

"In addition to the financial cost, there is environmental damage caused by waste packaging sent to landfill. Supermarkets and producers need to cut back on their excessive use of packaging.

"That is why we are launching a campaign against excess packaging in Wimbledon. I will be contacting local supermarkets, trading standards officers and members of the public to highlight this issue of growing concern.

"Some producers have already taken action, but much more is needed to tackle the problem. Producers of excess packaging must get the message that people in Wimbledon are fed up with their wasteful ways."

This is part of a national Liberal Democrat campaign against excess packaging. See www.scrapthispack.com for more information and to sign our petition to support the campaign.

LATEST UPDATE
A freedom of information request by local Liberal Democrats has revealed that Merton Trading Standards has investigated just one instance of excess packaging - and only then because a member of the public made a complaint. The reason given for the low level of prosecutions were the "difficulties" created by the wording of the laws on excess packaging.

Local campaigner Anthony Fairclough said: "This issue needs to be taken seriously by the Council; we hoped that Merton's recent 'Climate Change Strategy' would include some aims and plans to cut excess packaging. Despite Tory rhetoric, they don't really seem that concerned about taking action to make a difference, getting people involved, or raising awareness of the issues."