To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to encourage retailers to provide on-pack information about recyclability of packaging. (140805)

Most, if not all packaging is recyclable. Commission Decision 97/129/EC provides for numbering and abbreviations to identify packaging materials. While the marking system is voluntary, we would encourage manufacturers to use the markings, wherever possible, to aid the process of sorting and recycling of packaging waste.