Every piece of plastic should have recycling information on it by law

SIR – The huge majority of plastics are non-toxic, hygienic and, despite the suggestions of some of your letterwriters, recyclable.

The belief that plastic wrappings are not recyclable comes, I believe, from ignorance and the reality that a large proportion of plastics do not have the recycling information printed or embossed on them.

One letter (January 11) suggested that plastic sleeves from the mailing covers for magazines were not recyclable. They are, and in fact command a nice price.

The solution to the whole problem is education combined with labelling and proper recycling facilities. I would start by insisting that every item of plastic has the correct recycling information on it, by law.

To have plastic-free aisles in supermarkets – a bandwagon that has recently been jumped on – is actually counterproductive. This aisle, even in the consumer’s fertile imagination, does not contain unpackaged coffee granules or detergent, but produce. Almost all produce is packaged in plastics scientifically engineered to manage the gas atmosphere around it and extend shelf-life to avoid waste.

Much of the produce that is displayed unpacked in supermarkets has to be delivered there packed in bulk bags, as all foods must be kept and stored in a way that avoids cross-contamination.

Once it is in the store, the consumer has, in most cases, to take another individual bag at the shelf, to weigh and keep separate the produce. Thus loose produce is packed twice and suffers from degradation because of it. Mike Golding

Chairman, TCL Packaging Telford, Shropshire

SIR – If plastic dumped in the sea is a problem, then the answer is to stop doing that, not to stop making plastic items. As usual, the Government makes its decision at the wrong level.

Plastic has a fairly good calorific value, and could be burned in gasification plants to make electricity to power the forthcoming electric cars. So that’s two problems solved. Malcolm Parkin

Kinnesswood, Kinross

SIR – William Cook (Letters, January 12) asks if supermarkets could replace plastic bags with paper ones for selecting loose fruit and vegetables.

In France we saw that supermarkets now provide bags made of potato pulp, which are quickly biodegradable. I brought one home and sent it to Waitrose head office with a suggestion that they do the same.

Fingers crossed. Dr Jennifer Longhurst

Surbiton, Surrey

SIR – Why on earth do people need to carry bottled water in Britain? We do not live in tropical climes and the tap water is perfectly safe.

Fill up at home if necessary, or do without bottles. The whole bottled water thing is an enormous scam. C P Fish

Chippenham, Wiltshire