People in the UK could encourage manufacturers to change the materials they attach their printed labels to after a poll about waste.

Research carried out by trade show specialists easyFairs discovered that the main green concern at present is over excessive packaging, with 62 per cent of people highlighting this as their biggest worry, Packaging Europe reports.

Britain throws away millions of pounds' worth of food each year and some sources have suggested that confusing messages on food labels could partly be to blame.

However, easyFairs spokesperson Alison Church commented: "Perhaps the biggest issue is consumer education."

Elizabeth Shoch from GreenBlue and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition recently told Chemical & Engineering News that shoppers are now driving the need for a change in the use of materials foods are packed into.

She pointed out that many Britons have been questioning why the plastics and papers peelable labels are attached to are not yet recyclable.