The United Kingdom Produces millions of tonnes of household and industrial waste each year, some of which could be recycled rather than being land-filled. There are many, many reasons for recycling our waste, some of which are listed below:
Save our Resources |
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Most of what is thrown away is manufactured from products that are slowly running out or cannot be replaced quickly enough because of the amount we use. |
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Much of the waste that is thrown into landfill has a value and could be used again |
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The use of peat and a soil improver in gardens is slowly destroying the peat bogs. These are not renewable and have a finite life span.
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Compost can be made from kitchen waste and garden waste and can be used in place of peat. |
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Save Energy |
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Making new products from recycled ones saves energy. As an example, making a new aluminium can from recycled aluminium uses twenty times less energy than making cans from the raw material. |
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Protecting Our Environment |
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By reducing what we use and by recycling materials we reduce the need to excavate new materials that can damage the surrounding environment and exhaust supply a lot quicker. |
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Did You Know? |
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Glass
The average UK family throws away over 300 glass bottles/jars per year. Glass can be recycled infinitely and up to 80% of the bottles that we buy can be manufactured from recycled glass. |
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Paper
Recycled paper involves 70% less ebergy consumption than making paper frpm virgin wood. Recycled papers make up 68% of the materials used in our daily newspapers |
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Plastic
Recycling one plastic bottle can save the same amount of energy needed to power a 60watt bulb for 6 hours. |
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Metals
Aluminium and steel are two of the worlds most recyclable materials. Recycling aluminium cans saves 98% in terms of energy consumption. |
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Garden and Kitchen Waste
Organic materials in a land fill site are the major produceers of the greenhouse gas, methane. This material can be changed into compost by use of a compost heap or bin
We produce enough waste in two hours to fill the Albert Hall
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