It was reacting to the Retail Packaging Recycling Bill which proposes that retailers provide in-store collection for waste and then dispose of it.

The BRC says that although many shops do collect materials for recycling, forcing them to do so is unworkable. It says that local authority home collection is the most efficient way of collecting waste.

A spokesman said:

"No country in Europe has in-store waste collection and yet Germany and the Netherlands are recycling 64 and 57% of household waste respectively, compared with just 24% in the UK.

"Developing a consistent approach to recycling across local authorities would be the simplest and most effective way of boosting recycling in the UK."