The one simple fact about packaging is that it can make some foodstuffs last longer. In 1990, while working in the Armenian earthquake zone I was amazed by the rotting food that was dumped by the roadside. A lack of refrigeration and proper packing had rendered the food uneatable before it could even make it to market. The environmental consequence of that was significant - rotting food generates methane that's 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than the carbon emissions coming out of your car exhaust.

On the other hand, it's become increasingly apparent that far too many items are being over-packaged. On a visit to England three years ago, I came across a shrink-wrapped coconut. When questioned, the supermarket manager said it was to protect the coconut. If there's one food item that doesn't need protection, it's a coconut!

In today's throwaway culture, each Australian is generating an estimated 200kg of packaging waste every year. Unfortunately, not all of that was recycled. 1.9 million tonnes of this packaging ended up in Australia's landfills. According to Environment Victoria, that's enough to fill the MCG nine times over.

Excessive packaging is something that should no longer be tolerated. Even though a wide range of packaging can play a key and vital role in preserving foodstuffs, we are drowning in a sea of cling film, wrappers and Styrofoam trays.

When it comes to over-packaging, Australia has some gems of its own. The Environment Victoria excess packaging awards gave its top DUMP prize to Coles for the way they packaged lemons. Rather than have them individually available, they had 5 lemons in a flexible tray that was enclosed in a flexible wrap. As Environment Victoria correctly pointed out, that level of packaging was unnecessary and unrecyclable. Lemons can more than look after themselves.

Thankfully, the British Government has taken a proactive stance to target goods that are blatantly over-packaged. Their push against excessive Easter eggs packaging has garnered some impressive results. This year, Easter eggs packaging around the UK was 25% less than the previous year. The Green & Gold Easter eggs brand managed to reduce their packaging by 65%.

This proactive approach is a good role model for Australia's governments.  For too long, they have taken a lackluster and hands off approach to dealing with excessive packaging. This must come to an end. It's time for Australia to ban recyclable materials from going to landfill. We must also phase-out non-recyclable packaging. In our current environment, it's not acceptable that Australia's supermarkets are able to buy and sell products whose packaging is guaranteed to go to landfill.

Our leading supermarket chains could do a lot more to reduce this problem. Their buyers have the ability to enforce a 'recyclable packaging criteria' that phases out packaging that cannot be recycled. After all, how can consumers do their bit, if the supermarkets don't?

Written by Jon Dee. Originally published in G Magazine.