Supermarkets to be rapped over excessive packaging

Supermarkets are still producing excessive amounts of packaging, so it was good to see that the government is giving them a good telling off today (see here). According to this BBC report, an estimated 60 per cent of packaging is already recycled - I don't believe that for a minute. A large amount of plastic - typically yoghurt pots, margarine tubs and vegetable and meat trays - are type 5 or type 6 plastic, which local councils won't collect because there are no UK facilities for recycling them. And I doubt very much if 60% of people are recycling the cardboard, type 1 and 2 plastics and paper anyway. Where the hell do they get these figures from?

Now all we need are for Labour MPs to embarrass Blair by forcing the UK to commit to an annual reduction in greenhouse gases by backing the amendment tabled by ex-Environment Secretary, Michael Meacher (see here). Considering the danger we face, you'd think it was a no-brainer, but still Blair continues to act like a fop for big business and not the statesman we need to make the difficult decisions that might just help cut back the impact of climate change on our planet.

Oh, and another smack on the wrist for the government - a leaked report suggests it's going to u-turn over creating protected reserves for marine life (see here). So what started as a piece of praise for our government is wiped out by two transgressions to one. Why am I surprised?