Pressure mounted yesterday on Britain's supermarkets and retailers to reduce packaging drastically as political support intensified for The Independent's anti-waste campaign.

Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader, challenged leading stores to produce a detailed breakdown of how they contribute to the 4.6 million tonnes of household waste generated every year by packaging. Retailers are to be asked whether they would back a tax on plastic bags - similar to the one which has slashed carrier bag use in Ireland - and to reveal what proportion of their fresh produce is wrapped in plastic or placed on trays.

The increasing momentum behind The Independent's push to cut the volume of retail waste came as dozens more readers voiced their anger at the excess of plastic wrapping and campaigners called on Britain to learn lessons from other European countries.

Environmentalists pointed to a range of initiatives in Europe - from vending machines in Belgium which refund deposits on plastic and glass bottles, to bins at the checkouts in German supermarkets for customers to throw away excess packaging - and warned that Britain was lagging behind.

One reader wrote: "If you buy a product, any product, in a German shop, you can give the packaging straight back. They must then dispose of it responsibly. Wouldn't it be great to unwrap that swede or broccoli and give the cashier the clingfilm?"

Sir Menzies said there was growing unease among consumers about the quantities of packaging they have to deal with and that companies, including the big supermarkets, had to respond. He has written to all the large retailers with a list of 17 questions on issues from reducing plastic bag use to their recycling rates for paper and cardboard.

Sir Menzies said: "People want to know that retailers are taking a responsible attitude towards the environment. It is important that companies respond by reducing the level of packaging in products."

The focus on packaging came as the Government's competition watchdog expressed concern that the four big UK supermarkets - Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Asda - could be achieving unfair dominance on a local level. The Competition Commission said it was worried that small retailers were being squeezed by the presence of one or more of the big four in specific towns and the use of large "land banks".

The commission said it was also concerned that farmers and suppliers could have been intimidated into silence over practices in the supermarket sector in its ongoing inquiry into the food retail industry.

In response to The Independent's campaign, leading supermarkets have pointed out various initiatives to win the public relations battle over green issues. Sainsbury's has said all its ready-meals, one of the most complained about items of packaging excess for Independent readers, will be in compostable wrapping by September. In a statement, the company said: "We already have a target to reduce our use of packaging by 5 per cent every year. Our customers tell us that they care about the environment, and we are constantly looking at new ways to package our food."

Tesco said it was saving 112,000 tonnes of cardboard a year by switching to reusable trades for transporting its fresh produce.

But campaigners said retailers and the Government could learn much from anti-waste practices on the Continent. In Sweden, non-recyclable batteries have been taxed since 1991 to encourage a switch to alternatives, resulting in a 74 per cent reduction in the amount sold. In Germany, plastic bags are unheard of in supermarkets and deposits are paid for reusable plastic and glass bottles for beverages.

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