Tata to Excessive Packaging in Britain

British environmental minister Ben Bradshaw told citizens to leave "unnecessary and excessive" packaging at the register when they check out. Packaging waste is on the rise in Britain despite the commitment from major retailers to curb it. The country's top 13 grocery retailers pledged last year to reduce waste by over 175,000 tons by 2008, but so far have eliminated only 38,000 tons. "Until the supermarkets demonstrate clearly that they are willing to lead by example, we cannot expect consumers to get fully engaged with reducing their own waste," Bradshaw said.

Read the full article in the Guardian.

In the United States, more than half of the paper produced goes into paper packaging and the average American generates 300 pounds of packaging waste.

Take the Pledge to reduce your packaging here.