Day 075 - 17 Jan 95 - Page 38


     
     1        is produced by the Tidy Britain Group.  All of that is
     2        funded out of our core funding which we receive from
     3        government, and we produce special clothing for that which
     4        is sponsored by Coca Cola.  I think this year for the first
     5        time in response to an invitation from us some of our
     6        materials, information leaflets, are being paid for by
     7        McDonald's, but until this year they have had no publicity
     8        value out of what activity they have done with us in
     9        relation to the National Spring Clean. They have simply
    10        allowed us to use their restaurants as outlets for our
    11        materials, just as they do with this leaflet which does not
    12        carry any advertising for them.
    13
    14   Q.   How long has that leaflet been available?
    15        A.  This leaflet has been available in a number of
    16        editions.  What I am looking at will probably have been
    17        produced in 1991.  The Act became effective on 1st April
    18        1991 and we had environment/index.html">litter that then the law available in its
    19        first edition published 2 million copies, and then
    20        circulated through various outlets, supermarkets, so on and
    21        so forth, it has since gone into a number of reprints.
    22
    23   Q.   Since 1991?
    24        A.  Yes.
    25
    26   Q.   Do you know when McDonald's started distributing them?
    27        A.  It will have been shortly thereafter.  They have been
    28        willing to introduce our materials of that sort in their
    29        restaurants over a period of time, and frequently produced
    30        supplementary material themselves on their tray liners, so
    31        on and so forth, to supplement those activities.  So
    32        without being precise, I would think from 1991 onwards.
    33
    34   Q.   When you say in paragraph 7 of your statement that the use
    35        of food packaging is unavoidable, would you recognise that
    36        that is a matter of political opinion, in that it could in
    37        fact be avoided if there was not take-away -----
    38
    39   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Carry on and ask the question.
    40
    41   MS. STEEL:  Well, would you recognise that it was a matter of
    42        political opinion?
    43        A.  It seems to me it would be a self-evident fact in
    44        relation to the nature of the business.
    45
    46   Q.   Yes, but ----
    47
    48   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Are you just meaning to talk about the
    49        take-away element, because you could serve food fast on
    50        reusables?  I know that is not the McDonald's system, the 
    51        one they have chosen to adopt, promote and make a success 
    52        of. 
    53        A.  So far as I am concerned, the way in which they package
    54        their food that is consumed within the restaurant, is not a
    55        matter that I and the Tidy Britain Group address because it
    56        does not become environment/index.html">litter.
    57
    58   Q.   When you say "The use of food packaging is therefore
    59        unavoidable", you are entering an opinion?
    60        A.  In relation to take-away food, yes.

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