News

Tory proposals to reward consumers who recycle with vouchers worth £130 a year have been tentatively welcomed by the Packaging Federation.

In a speech today, shadow chancellor George Osborne will promise that consumers will be paid to recycle to cut the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfill. The Conservative view is that householders would respond better to a "carrot" than a "stick".

Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle agreed that it was "human nature to respond better to a carrot than a stick", but added that "somebody needs to take a more holistic approach", pointing out that government should not ignore more pressing environmental issues, such as car emissions.

"If you're going to start making soundbites about recycling, then let's look at resource efficiency as a whole," he said.

The Tory scheme, which has been piloted in Windsor and Maidenhead, would cover materials including paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and metal.

Consumers' recycling bins would be scanned at collection and households would be allocated recycling points for the volumes of rubbish collected. These points could then be exchanged for vouchers redeemable at retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Tesco.

Osborne also said that a Tory government would cuts its own carbon emissions by 10% in its first year, set up 'green' ISAs enabling consumers to invest money tax-free in environmentally-friendly business and create a 'green' investment bank to finance environmental firms and projects.

The Packaging Federation had a stand at this year's Conservative conference that Searle branded a success as delegates were convinced of the packaging sector's important role.

Click here for today's headlines from across the packaging industry