Dr Kooijman says the current trend of people living alone is making matters worse because each household needs hundreds of essential items from toothpaste to toilet brushes and bread knives to clocks.

Each of these items has created greenhouse gases as part of the production process.

Although surveys reveal that people believe recycling is one of the best things they can do for the environment, Dr Kooijman - in a study for UK packaging industry body Incpen - says this is a myth.

While recycling does help the environment, Dr Kooijman says that using water wisely, walking, cycling or taking public transport instead of driving, and turning off electricity, all have much more impact.

Packaging industry 'aggrieved'

He says people should never to make a special car trip to the bottle bank as this wastes more energy than it saves.

Lowering the room temperature by two degrees saves almost the same amount of energy as used for the total year's supply of packaging for the average household, he calculates.

And he says by switching from a four-wheel drive car to a normal car for a year, a family could save as much energy as it does by 400 years of recycling bottles.

The packaging industry feels aggrieved it is being forced to improve its environmental performance while the government shies away from the root factors of climate change: lifestyles and a growing economy.

A government spokesman told BBC News it welcomed the report, and took the issues raised very seriously.

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