Many of the products we consume in vast quantities, like fuel, have a limited supply. By recycling or reusing things we can not only save resources but also reduce pollution by manufacture and reduce the size of landfill sites. If everyone recycled their rubbish, it would have a considerable impact on the environment. For example, if we all recycled our newspapers, about 2.8 billion papers would be diverted from landfill each year, raising the total amount of waste paper recycled by nine per cent. If you notice anyone fly-tipping or polluting, you can call the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.
Roughly two thirds of your household rubbish can be recycled by doorstep collection services or by taking them to recycling banks. The following materials will be collected by your local council’s recycling service:
Before you throw out your unwanted possessions, try giving them to somebody who can use them through charity shops or organisations like Freecycle, or break them down into re-useable parts. Many charities offer free posting or collection to get rid of recyclable waste:
The average UK household wastes £424 a year on food that gets thrown away. This means that the energy used and pollution caused by packaging and transporting it also for nothing. Furthermore, if the food is disposed of at a landfill site, it has no productive value and merely contributes to greenhouse gas emissions by producing methane. Turning your organic waste and garden refuse into compost returns nutrients to the soil and reduces the devastation of peat bogs used for fertilizer.
Next page: Conserving water