We can do without plastic packaging and supermarkets | Letters

Instead shop in markets and smaller shops, which are less packaging obsessed and often use paper bags, says Rachel MeredithThe idea of increasing the use of aluminium and steel packaging, as proposed by Andy Clarke (Bring in plastic packaging ban, former Asda boss tells stores, 13 October), is not a sustainable solution. Both materials rely on finite substances and intensive energy to produce them, and there is no guarantee that they will be recycled and will avoid ending up in the sea as well.