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Waste and recycling

Unsustainable Waste

The volume of waste produced in the UK in two hours would fill the Albert Hall. In one day, it would fill Trafalgar Square right up to Nelson's Column.

The majority of waste produced within this country and world is disposed of in an unsustainable manner. Under-used products and excess packaging all take energy to produce and to be disposed off, and contribute to the mounting problem of waste.

Every year, the UK produces 40 million tonnes of household, school and office waste, of which 85% go to landfills, and 9% is incinerated - both of these methods of waste disposal are unsustainable environmental hazards. Only about 6% of waste is recycled - but with your help this percentage could be much more.

Recyclable products

• Paper is a biodegradable material that rots in landfills and produces methane, a greenhouse gas. The production of virgin paper uses a great deal of energy to pulp the wood; producing recycled paper uses from up to 70% less energy, and less water as well. Even low grade paper, such as telephone books, can be recycled and made into egg cartons and jiffy bags.
• Plastic is made from crude oil and takes up to 500 years to decompose. Plastic can be recycled, but needs to be collected and manually sorted into 7 different chemical groups. It is best, therefore, to reuse plastic containers before recycling them, if possible. Some supermarkets have bins for recycling plastic bags.
• Glass , an inert substance, remains in landfills indefinitly. Currently the UK rate of recycling glass is 34%, comparing poorly to Switzerland and Finland with rates of over 90%.
  When you recycle glass, make sure that you put bottles and containers in the correct bank. Most importantly, ensure that clear glass does not get contaminated with colours, as this lowers the quality and value.

Benefits of recycling

• Save money: reducing your consumption level will reduce your shopping bills.
• Help the environment: by reducing the amount of waste entering landfill sites and incineration facilities.
• Improve health: your actions will decrease the level of pollutants from incineration plants and landfill sites, which can have potentially severe health implications such as respiratory problems.

What you can do: