'Focus on business waste', Government told

The Government needs to stop focusing on the "low hanging fruit" of individuals and target the waste created by businesses, according to a parliamentary committee.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said more must be done to tackle the 90% of UK waste that is produced by companies, calling for better designed equipment using greener materials, along with cutting waste in packaging.

The committee suggested reforming the VAT system to make more durable and easily maintained items more attractive to businesses.

A third of UK waste is created by the construction and demolition industries, and another third by mining and quarrying.

The committee agreed that the Government's landfill tax escalator, which makes landfill increasingly expensive, has been effective in reducing the amount produced.

However, it said that more action was required.

Speaking on BBC Radio Four's Today Programme, Lord O'Neill, who chaired the committee, said: "We have to recognise that the Government is doing a lot in terms of encouraging individuals.

"Understandably people get hung up on the low hanging fruit - the plastic bags issues," he said.

"But it's the goods that we use, it's the equipment that we have and how it's designed, and whether we can make it more modular and more recyclable - these are rather more important than sometimes what we've been considering in the past."