Public blast supermarkets over stalling action on plastic waste

Almost 80 per cent (78%) say supermarkets still use too much single-use plastic, with 69 per cent arguing the big chains put profits before reducing their environmental footprint.

UK supermarkets are estimated to generate 30 billion pieces of unnecessary plastic waste each year, with the nation’s supermarkets faring worse than France, Germany, and Spain.

Government figures suggest more than 12 billion single-use plastic bottles were sold across the UK last year, creating vast amounts of waste that is not recycled.

Meanwhile, half of Brits worry about the health impact of plastic. A similar number (49%) say they are more likely to shop at supermarkets which stamp out single-use plastic altogether.

More than half (57%) support additional taxes on big companies who use single-use plastic packaging that cannot be recycled.

With growing public concern, the failure of supermarkets to reduce their reliance on plastic packaging has faced increasing scrutiny.

A recent study by the Environmental Investigation Agency found that 70 per cent of soft plastic collected through Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s take-back schemes was incinerated, rather than recycled.

Many European countries have introduced deposit return schemes (DRS) to encourage the recycling of single-use drinks containers, where a small refundable deposit is charged.

Earlier in 2025, representatives of major UK supermarkets, including Tesco, Lidl and ASDA, demanded a delay to the UK’s DRS, due to come into force in October 2027.

Supermarket bosses cited increased financial burdens, despite similar schemes in the EU proving highly successful, boosting recycling rates for bottles to 94 per cent on average.

Last week, ministers appointed an industry-led management body to administer the deposit return scheme, alongside bosses from Lidl, Co-Op and Tesco.

Environmental campaigners have blasted the announcement, suggesting supermarkets are being left to “mark their own homework” and prioritise profits over the planet.

Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet & Plastic Health Council, said, “Britain’s plastic crisis can no longer be ignored. Supermarkets are turning a blind eye to the mountains of waste they produce each year, and they will not clean up their act alone; ministers must legislate.

“While the Government is taking action to boost the recycling single-use bottles though a deposit return scheme, this is a drop in the ocean. Plastic production is set to rise exponentially, and beverage containers are a fraction of plastic waste, if we are to see any real change, wholesale reduction in the production of plastic is desperately needed for the health of not only the planet but our bodies.”

Polly Billington, Labour MP for East Thanet and Commons Net Zero Committee member, said, “For too long, we have acknowledged the plastic crisis without taking meaningful steps to address it.

“While the public grows increasingly concerned about the health impacts of mountains of unrecycled waste, supermarkets continue to generate millions of tonnes of unnecessary plastic packaging each year, leaving it to already over-stretched councils to clean up our beaches and natural beauty spots.

“We are lucky to have Plastic Free Thanet and Rise Up Clean Up in my constituency, but without stopping plastic waste at source they are fighting a losing battle.

“The deposit return scheme is a start, but we need comprehensive change from businesses to drive genuine reduction in plastic production, not just recycling targets that mask the true scale of the problem.”

Dominic Dyer, Chair of Nature 2030, said, “Big supermarkets are deliberately stalling the action we need to see and must not be left to mark their own homework when it comes to tackling plastic pollution.

“With the biggest high street retailers now sitting on the board of Britian’s recycling scheme for single-use bottles, there are serious concerns about whether they will put profits before environmental protection.

“Why should billion-pound companies be deciding our environmental laws when their track record shows they are clearly cannot be trusted?”