Recycling | Home

Waste and recycling - Why recycle?

We live in a disposable society in the western world, which means we generate huge amounts of waste that has to be disposed of in some way.  Being wealthier combined with the influence of advertising has led to a consumer driven society, where people buy more and more stuff, whether they need it or not.  The power of marketing is responsible for making people think they need something, rather than simply want it.  Not only does this mean that old things get thrown out, the new items generally come with a mountain of excess packaging that usually goes to waste.  The manufacturing of new products, particularly electronic goods such as computers or TVs, uses large amounts of energy and contributes significantly to greenhouse emissions.  Not to mention the distances that goods have to travel to reach the shops, again contributing to air pollution and climate change.

How many people really think about where their rubbish ends up after they put it in their bin to be collected?  In the UK something like 25 million tones of rubbish is produced each year, most of which is sent to landfill sites.  It's estimated that around 50% of this waste could be recycled, but currently only 12% is.  The problem isn't just that we're rapidly running out of space in the countryside to accommodate landfill sites, but that they also have devastating environmental impacts.  As our waste rots, large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are produced, which add to global warming.  Toxic chemicals can leach out into groundwater.  Wildlife is adversely affected.

Incineration is an alternative option, although this too has its problems.  It may produce fewer greenhouse gases, but there are health concerns about the dioxin emissions it produces.  The residue left over is often toxic and although this is around a quarter of the original mass, it still has to be sent to landfill.  The good news is that people are slowly waking up and realizing the effects their behaviour can have on the environment.  Pressure is on local councils to provide better recycling facilities, such as a doorstep collection of paper, tins and glass to be recycled.  Provision is being made for people to recycle their unwanted plastic bottles, cardboard, garden waste and much more. 

This is great, and we should all be encouraged to use these services.  However, this isn't the full story.  Recycling uses a lot of energy, and there have even been reports of mountains of plastic bottles being shipped abroad and then burned, rather than recycled.  In my view, it's better and greener to follow the "Three Rs" of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Tips for reducing, reusing and recycling in the ethical home:

- Don't buy products that come with excess packaging.
- Choose glass over plastic bottles.
- Reuse packaging, such as for wrapping gifts.
- When shopping, use a "bag for life" made from organic cotton or other green fabric, rather than plastic bags.
- If you do have plastic bags, reuse them where possible, such as by using them to line your bins.
- Reuse scraps of paper, and write or print on both sides.
- Mend things rather than replacing them - this may mean buying better quality in the first place.
- Give unwanted clothes, books and bric-a-brac to charity shops.
- Join a network such as Freecycle.
- Buy things secondhand.
- Compost your kitchen and garden waste, and use it to grow your own vegetables.
- Use rechargeable batteries where possible, that don't contain mercury or cadmium.
- Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive.
- Buy recycled paper, glass and other products.

Useful sites:

www.freecycle.org

www.recycledproducts.org.uk