So the supermarkets are not as green as they claim to be and need to do more to reduce "excessive" packaging? Sounds like pots and kettles to me. It's all very well Joan Ruddock pledging vaguely in the Commons this week that she wants to "push the supermarkets to go further". But the government has got to stop absolving itself of responsibility and do its bit as well. The issue is as much about shortfalls in recycling infrastructure as shortfalls in the recycling policies of the supermarkets. As a peeved M&S pointed out following a damning report from the Local Government Association this week, 70% of its packaging is already recyclable - not 60% as suggested in the report - and a further 20% would be if councils had the facilities. At the moment, there's too little consistency in the way councils recycle. Some provide separate bins for paper, plastic and garden waste. Others provide a single recycling bin and arrange for the contents to be sorted out at a recycling facility. Quite aside from the confusion this causes consumers, there's the confusion it causes recycling companies handling the stuff. It's little wonder some have been caught dumping waste intended for recycling in landfill. No-one's disputing that supermarkets still have some way to go when it comes to packaging. Premium food and fresh produce are still too often over-packaged. And there's not just a need to make sure more packaging is recyclable; there's a need to get rid of it where possible. But simply urging supermarkets to "go further" is not the answer. Nor is distracting everyone from the bigger issue of food waste. After all, ten times more energy goes into the production of food or goods contained in packaging than the packaging itself.