Waste expert rubbishes plan to tax plastic bags

MOVES to ban or charge for single-use plastic bags are a diversion from real environmental issues, according to one of the Government's green advisers.

Waste and recycling expert Professor Chris Coggins said such a policy allowed the supermarkets to pass on the responsibility to be green on to customers. He said supermarkets should be helping to lessen the amount of packaging they use.

Coggins added: "Supermarkets have a much bigger role to play in influencing the packaging they use.

"They have power in terms of what they buy and how it's packed. The problem is, by focusing on the consumer end, they are to some extent diverting attention from what they should be doing.

Environment minister Joan Ruddock admitted single-use bags were only a small part of the waste stream.

However, she added: "We know that the public is on our side. They want action. It's very symbolic of our throw-away society and so we do need to do something quite dramatically to curb their use."