Day 059 - 01 Dec 94 - Page 28


     
     1        A.  The arguments in favour of paper are that you generate
     2        less waste, you do not need a specific polystyrene
     3        recycling system and the cost of the packaging is lower.
     4
     5   Q.   How much lower?
     6        A.  Oh!
     7
     8   Q.   Roughly?
     9        A.  Probably, I cannot tell you exactly, but around
    10        10 per cent of the cost of a foam package a wrap would be.
    11
    12   Q.   A tenth of the cost?
    13        A.  Yes.
    14
    15   Q.   Let me try to be systematic about it; what are the
    16        arguments against the use of paper?
    17        A.  The arguments against using paper are that the product
    18        is not as hot as if you had retained it in a foam package;
    19        the product is not as fresh and the product is not as
    20        presentable to the customer.  If you are presented a
    21        Big Mac in a wrap and you open the wrap, you will find that
    22        the bun could be squashed or distorted, or the sauce is
    23        coming out the side of the bun; whereas in foam package,
    24        which is much more rigid, the presentation is far better.
    25
    26   Q.   So, effectively, are those arguments in favour of
    27        polystyrene foam even though it is very considerably more
    28        expensive?
    29        A.  In this country, yes.
    30
    31   Q.   Is there a problem so far as this country is concerned
    32        about the disposal of polystyrene foam waste?
    33        A.  No.  This is what I was referring to earlier.  There is
    34        not a landfill problem in the UK today.  There is a
    35        landfill problem in the US which is one of the main reasons
    36        they decided to reduce the amount of packaging they were
    37        using, but there is not a problem here in the UK.
    38
    39   Q.   I am going to come other parts of Europe later on,
    40        Mr. Oakley, but are there countries in Europe where
    41        landfill disposal is perceived to be a problem?
    42        A.  Yes, Germany and Austria, in particular.
    43
    44   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It might just be interesting to know,
    45        Mr. Rampton, what are the factors which lead to landfill
    46        availability and problems?  I know we have areas in this
    47        country where an enormous amount of gravel has been
    48        excavated.  There was an article in the papers last week
    49        about rubbish going down the Thames to somewhere called
    50        Mudley or some appropriate name like that in Essex where it 
    51        was dumped.  But why should we have more landfill sites 
    52        than, say, Austria or Germany? 
    53        A.  I honestly do not know.  I have certainly seen the
    54        disused gravel pits that are used for landfill and I think
    55        that is probably as good an answer as I could give but
    56        specifically I do not know.
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Very well.
    59
    60   MR. RAMPTON:  Is there any paper used in this country which

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