Recycling
UK households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste and rubbish in 2003/04, of which 17% was collected for recycling. This figure is still quite low compared to some of our neighbouring EU countries, some recycling over 50% of their waste. There is still a great deal of waste and rubbish which could be recycled that ends up in landfill sites which is harmful to the environment.
Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy, reducing waste and conserving the environment. Did you know that:
1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hrs.
1 recycled glass bottle would save enough to power a computer for 25 mins.
1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hrs.
70% less power is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.
Some Interesting Facts
Up to 60% of the rubbish and waste that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.
The unreleased energy contained in the average dustbin each year could power a television for 5,000 hours.
The largest lake in Britain could be filled with rubbish from England in 8 months.
On average, 16% of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up as rubbish.
As much as 50% of waste and rubbish in the average dustbin could be composted.
Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.
9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.
Aluminium
- 24 million tonnes of aluminium rubbish is produced annually, 51,000 tonnes of which ends up as packaging in England.
- If all cans in the British Isles were recycled, we would need 14 million fewer dustbins.
- £36,000,000 worth of aluminium is thrown away each year.
- Aluminium cans can be recycled and ready to use in just 6 weeks.
- Each UK family uses an average of 500 glass bottles and jars annually.
- The largest glass furnace produces over 1 million glass bottles and jars per day.
- 100 % of Glass can be recycled and can be used again and again.
- Glass that is thrown away as rubbish and ends up in landfills will never decompose.
- Recycling paper produces 73% less air pollution than if it was made from raw materials.
- 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are used annually in Britain.
- The average person in the UK gets through 38kg of newspapers per year, but does not recycle much of it.
- It takes 24 trees to make 1 ton of newspaper.
- 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year in the England
- Most families throw away about 40kg of plastic as rubbish per year, which could otherwise be recycled.
- The use of plastic in Western Europe is growing about 4% each year.
- Plastic rubbish can take up to 500 years to decompose.
