Protesters litter stores with excess packaging

Published on Sunday 28 October 2007 01:19

ACTIVISTS have confronted supermarket bosses with piles of rubbish in a nationwide protest aimed at shaming stores into going green.

Campaigners returned unwanted packaging to supermarkets across the country yesterday in a drive to cut waste.

Members and supporters of Friends of the Earth Scotland carted piles of unwanted plastic, cardboard and paper back to supermarkets and urged staff to lobby their head offices to stop overpackaging goods.

The co-ordinated stunt targeted stores in Edinburgh, Elgin, Kirkcaldy, Falkirk and Fort William.

Rosiaina Browning, of Friends of the Earth Scotland, claimed the protest had been a big success.

She said: "Our actions sent out a strong message to stores that as customers we find it totally unacceptable that our shopping comes so over-packaged. Most of it is unnecessary and is only adding to Scotland's growing waste mountain."

Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire, gave her support to the campaign.

She said: "The public's calls for Government action on excess packaging are getting louder and louder.

"I'm sure this weekend's activities will leave supermarkets in no doubt about what their customers think of excess packaging.

"The Government has been too timid and too slow in tackling the packaging problem."