Fancy packaging on supermarket goods is costing us more in council tax.

The news comes from a report by the Local Government Association (LGA) out today, looking at how much rubbish is produced by the country's different supermarket chains.

It has revealed that tax payers are shouldering the burden of recycling the wrapping that comes with the food we buy.

According to the report, in a typical basket of shopping almost 40 per cent of supermarket food packaging cannot be easily recycled.

And the Kent Green Party has reacted with concern that after 20 years of intensive improvement we still have problems.

Councils have to pay £32 for every tonne of rubbish they throw away and, between 2008 and 2011, local councils across the country are predicted to spend £1.8 billion landfill tax.

Steve Dawe, spokesperson for the Kent Green Party, said: "It isn't just a cost to us as council tax payers, it's a cost in terms of priorities for our local councils and it's a cost to the environment with this constant search for new landfill sites.

"This also leads to massive movements of heavy goods vehicles that contribute to Kent's general traffic problems."

He thinks the answer lies with the public, though. "If people favour goods with minimum packaging then the message will get home," he added.

"Consumers have the power, supermarkets will only do so much. They'll be led by the consumer."

The LGA is instead calling on the Government to make retailers responsible for funding the collection of packaging so they have a direct incentive to produce less.

Cllr Margaret Eaton, chairman of the LGA, said: "Britain is the dustbin of Europe. Taxpayers don’t want to see their money going towards paying landfill taxes and EU fines when council tax could be reduced instead.

"If retailers create unnecessary rubbish, they should help taxpayers by paying for it to be recycled."

Paul Vanston, Kent Waste Partnership (KWP) programmes and projects manager at Kent County Council said that it has improved recycling by 40 per cent and reduced landfill waste from 80 per cent to 20 per cent in the past 10 years.

"That's our main job on behalf of residents," he said. "However, we also do our best to influence government policy and national issues.

"The KWP's efforts are to work with the LGA, the Packaging Federation and supermarkets because reducing food and packaging waste can only happen when everyone gets around the table and arrives at a consensus on what to do."

Mr Vanston said that KWP is working with these organisations to raise the issues and lobby for changes where needed.

"The fact that Kent is the leading county on the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign is a sign that we're ready and willing to be bold and innovative when it comes to protecting the money in residents' pockets at the same time as protecting the environment."