A PHARMACEUTICAL packaging manufacture has welcomed the government's ambitious plans to make businesses take responsibility for recycling their waste.

Wasdell Packaging, which has its HQ in Blagrove, says it is already ahead of the game in reducing waste to make its logistics operations as efficient and green as possible.

The government's Waste and Resource strategy, announced on Tuesday, aims to overhaul the recycling system and includes a tax on single-use plastic with less than 30 per cent recycled content by 2022.

Known as the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, it is expected to raise between £500m and £1bn a year.

Martin Tedham, CEO of Wasdell, said the company has already agreed a deal fora new type of biodegradable packaging for plastic bottles and caps and introduced its own delivery fleet to ensure products are delivered into Europe in the most efficient way

"We put great emphasis on the products and materials we use at Wasdell and build in ways to reduce waste at all stages of manufacture," he said.

"With most plastics taking up to 400 years to break down, if at all, this new product can be composted alongside food waste and breaks down completely in less than 10 years due to the high level of nanos in the materials.

"Researching and trialling new ways to package and more environmentally friendly products is a priority for us at Wasdell as we recognise the part we play in the ongoing impact on the world we live in.

"Our design teams will create a bespoke solution for each product we package to make sure that there is as little wastage and over-use of materials as possible and throughout the packaging process we train our staff to minimise wastage as they go."

The company says it is also an investor in the Zero Waste Business network, which highlights innovation and commitment by businesses to eliminate waste.