Fast Food Litter Should Be Recyclable - Baker

4.23.14pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 29th Oct 2003

Commenting on the Government's move to urge fast food outlets to take responsibility for the litter they generate, Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, said:

"This is good news for local communities who have to suffer the litter and waste from fast food outlets in their area. But a voluntary scheme may not be enough to convince some fast food giants to take this problem seriously.

"The Government needs to make better use of the provisions that already exist in the 1990 Environmental Protection Act, which allows action to be taken against those responsible.

"What we really need to tackle is the 'throw-away' culture of our fast food nation. And instead of just cleaning up the litter, we need to make sure that the litter is less damaging to our environment.

"The Government must take steps to encourage a shift from polystyrene fast food containers to biodegradable and recyclable materials - ideally paper. If it can happen in Ireland, surely it can happen in Britain."