RESIDENTS should return all packaging to supermarkets, says a councillor. Cllr Rod Kennedy raised the suggestion during a meeting of Royston Town Council s Finance committee on Monday evening. Members were listening to a presentation from North Herts Dist

RESIDENTS should return all packaging to supermarkets, says a councillor.

Cllr Rod Kennedy raised the suggestion during a meeting of Royston Town Council's Finance committee on Monday evening.

Members were listening to a presentation from North Herts District Council's plans to introduce alternative week bin collections in October and the need for an increase in recycling.

Cllr Kennedy claimed one of the main causes for waste came from packaging.

"We should be encouraging people to take back the packaging to where it came from," he said.

"It's the problem of people like supermarkets, not the problem of their customers," he said.

"Customers should be more assertive over this and then manufacturers may begin to realise the situation," added Cllr Kennedy.

Cllr Lynda Needham, the district council's portfolio holder for waste and recycling, said that one supermarket had encouraged customers to dispense of unwanted packaging after buying their goods.

She said that the Government has called on manufacturers to reduce packaging by at least 20 per cent.

"It's called for the reduction on a voluntary basis where local authorities are being given targets to meet on reducing waste," she said.