Is this the end of Pringles as we know them?

Pringles are famous for their packaging, but recycling advocates say it's been designed by "idiots". Photo / Getty

The makers of Pringles are coming under pressure to abandon their famous tube packaging because it is difficult to recycle.

Simon Ellin, chief executive the Recycling Association, a trade body representing recycling plants, has suggested the packaging was made by "idiots", warning that food producers and manufacturers need to pay greater attention to recyclable packaging.

He told a conference: "What idiot designed this in terms of recyclability? We've got a cardboard tube, a metal bottom, a plastic lid.

"The Pringles factor - right at the design stage, we've got to get that right.

"What we're putting in our recycling bins has got to be recyclable. We've got to get away from the Pringles factor."

It comes amid growing fears that too little is being done to reduce the amount of household waste by British consumers.

The Prince of Wales, who campaigns on such issues, is preparing to join record-breaking yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur in launching a multimillion-pound competition to encourage the reduction of plastics in the world's oceans.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Charles's International Sustainability Unit (ISU) will launch the New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize in central London on Thursday to challenge groups and individuals to find new ways of designing packaging to help keep it out of the oceans.

A Pringles spokesman said: "We take our responsibilities to the planet we all share seriously and are continuously working to improve our environmental performance.

"All parts of a Pringles can act as a barrier to protect the chips from environmental contamination and to keep them fresh.

"The freshness of our chips means a longer shelf life, which minimises food waste."