Your help
Why is recycling and waste management important?
Society’s current rate of consumption of natural resources is unsustainable. We all need to save energy and materials, reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill and reduce pollution from production, transport and disposal, in order to reduce the future effects of global warming.
Climate change has been described as the biggest challenge facing the world today. Our Government has pledged to address this challenge by asking for stringent reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
The majority of human activity generates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change.
Using electricity generated from fossil fuel power stations; burning gas for heating or driving a petrol or diesel car; and the production, transport and disposal of raw materials and consumer goods all generate greenhouse gas emissions.
If the greenhouse gases attributable to human activities are not reduced and current rates of production are left unchecked, global temperatures could rise by up to 6 degrees C by the end of the century.
A temperature rise of this magnitude will severely destabilise the earth’s climate. The consequences are potentially catastrophic – extreme weather events; loss of habitats and ecosystems; scarcity of natural resources, food and water; and political instability arising from mass movements of populations to more habitable areas.
What can we all do to help?
We can all reduce, reuse and recycle – at work, at home, in the garden, and while we’re out and about. In some very simple steps - like reusing shopping bags, recycling materials, or setting up a compost bin in your garden for kitchen and garden waste- you can make a very real difference to the environment. For example, recycling aluminium drink cans saves up to 95 per cent of the energy needed to make them from raw materials and recycling just nine aluminium cans saves enough energy to power a television for over a day.
Check the recyclenow website to find out what you can recycle from your doorstep, where your nearest recycling banks are, contact details for your local council and how to order a recycling container for your home. Recyclenow also has handy hints on how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
For help recycling at work, take a look at our business services or contact us for advice and information.
To find out more about how recycling and waste management processes work, see our waste journeys.
You can visit our re:think education website too. Here you will find recycling related games, quizzes, waste journeys and free education resources for teachers, tailored to the National Curriculum.
