§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to secure amendments to the EC directive on packaging and packaging waste in order to(a) set targets for reducing the overall amount of packaging used and (b) introduce measures to increase the use of refillable containers.
§ Mr. MacleanWe believe that limiting the amount of packaging to be produced in the Community would be an unacceptable constraint on economic growth. Such a limit would be very difficult to enforce and is not necessary to achieve the environmental objective of reducing the amount of packaging waste going to final disposal. We believe the approach proposed by the Commission of setting targets for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste is more appropriate. We will explore in negotiation whether those targets can reflect the contribution made by refillable containers without creating barriers to trade or competition.