In this day and age, we’re aware of how much damage our waste disposal can cause to the environment and how recycling can help, but shockingly less than half the waste created in this country is being recycled, according to figures from local councils. More than 70% of local authorities arrange a kerbside collection for your recycling, which in turn reduces the amount of rubbish sent to landfill and the amount of pollution that goes into our atmosphere.
What is recycling
We need to educate others on what recycling really is. More than re-using an item, it is the process of taking waste materials and converting them into something new and useful. The most obvious of these is newspapers – now, in the UK, newspapers are made from 100% recycled paper, which means that no more trees need to be cut down to produce them. We need to completely eradicate our demand for raw materials in order to preserve the natural resources we have available and also cut down on pollution.
Recycling also protects our wildlife, as it means that less waste finds its ways into our ecosystems, and so there is less chance of habitats being destroyed and killing animals.
Recycling saves us energy and money, creates jobs and conserves our natural resources, so we really need to be more mindful and know how we can do our bit to make the world we live in a little bit greener.
The numbers
- Every 2 hours, the UK produces enough waste to fill the Royal Albert Hall.
- At Christmas, the amount of wrapping paper that ends up in landfill is enough to cover an island the size of Guernsey.
- Recycling paper actually involves less energy than creating it from raw materials
- 5 out of every 6 glass bottles are thrown in the bin, even though glass is 100% recyclable and these bottles could be recycled again and again.
- Around 80% of what ends up in our waste disposal could be recycled.
- Every year, the UK uses the equivalent of a forest the size of Wales in paper
- However, last year we recycled enough paper to save 34,700 trees – the size of 35 football pitches
- If we recycled every single can in the UK, we could get rid of 14 million dustbins
- Aluminium cans can be recycled quickly – ready for use within 6 weeks
- Plastic is killing our oceans – bottles and packages that end up in the sea kill over 1 million marine creatures every single year
- Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose – make sure it goes into a recycling bin!
- Each year, the average household rubbish bin contains enough unconverted energy for around 3,500 showers or 5,000 hours of television.
Responsible waste disposal
These are just a handful of the facts that display how much damage we’re doing to how environment, and how much good we can do by recycling.
At Cherry Hill Waste we feel passionately about protecting the environment, which is why we only recycle as much as 90% of the waste we receive from our skip hire. So, if you’re looking for eco-friendly reliable waste disposal in Stoke-on-Trent or Newcastle under Lyme, call us today on 01782 624209.
