Recycling: the basics
Thursday 1 January 2004
Recycling these days should be second nature to most of us, but do you know just how many things can be recycled? Even the most horrible bits of your household rubbish can be recycled in some way.
Avoiding landfill
Most of the things that we throw away end up on landfill sites. Landfill sites are vast areas where all the rubbish we don't want is either buried or left to rot in a huge 'waste mountain'. As you can imagine, landfills don't smell too pretty and can emit high levels of carbon dioxide and methane, neither of which are doing the Earth any favours.
The government is taking the recycling of waste very seriously. In 2002/03 15.6 per cent of household waste was recycled and the government is working to increase that figure every year. About nine per cent of waste is disposed of via an incinerator (which generates energy), but around 75 per cent of household waste still goes to landfill.
Go greener
To get more people recycling, the government is encouraging everyone at school, colleges and university to recycle as much waste as possible where they study and at home.
As well as encouraging people to recycle their waste, the government is also asking people to buy more goods made from recycled materials. This includes things like recycled paper and bin liners (made from recycled plastic). As well as decreasing the amount of new materials needed to make things, this will also help create markets for recycled materials. If there's consumer demand for recycled goods, manufacturers will supply them.
Glass
Glass makes up seven per cent of household rubbish, and is one of the easiest materials to recycle. Despite the fact that glass is totally recyclable, only 15 per cent of the glass we throw away is recycled. If you want to do your bit, you should be able to find a bottle bank near you. If you're not sure where you can find one, give your local council a call or visit their web site.
Paper
Did you know that the production of a tonne of recycled paper uses less energy and less water than conventional paper production? It can even save up to 17 trees.
Just one edition of a daily newspaper uses wood from around 5,000 trees. Every Sunday, 90 per cent of all newspapers are thrown away, which is the equivalent of putting about 500,000 trees in a landfill site. That's quite an amount, and easily avoidable.
Your local council will be able to tell you where you can find your nearest paper recycling point.
Food
Waste food can also be recycled simply and safely at home if you make your own compost. It's easy to get started and can provide any flowers or plants you may have with a nice eco-friendly fertiliser. You can find out how to get started by checking out our links.
Mobile phones
Almost everyone who can talk in the UK has a mobile phone, and we all like to keep up with the latest models; sometimes changing phones as often as once a year. But what happens to all the old phones?
Around 90 per cent of unused mobile phones end up on landfill sites, many of them leaking dangerous metals if left to decay.
Many charities are seeking old mobile phones, as well as used printer toner cartridges, which takes them off your hands and helps the environment. You can find out which charities you can help by searching on the web.
A good place to start if you are interested in finding out about recycling in your area is to go to your local council's web site. It should have a special section on recycling and will be able to tell you how you can get involved.
