Major Firms Should Cut Waste Say Conservatives

Major firms should be asked to sign up to voluntary "responsibility deals" to cut waste, the Conservatives say. The party says existing EU rules are not wide-ranging enough and are "propping up our throwaway culture". The former Tory MP and Asda boss Archie Norman has been asked to look for ways of working with firms on a "fundamental rethink" of tackling waste. The government has given supermarkets a year to slash the use of plastic bags, threatening legislation if they do not. The steering group on waste is part of a wider drive by the Conservatives to persuade businesses they have an important role to play in creating a better society - on issues from obesity to climate change.