We live in an increasingly ‘throw-away’ society. In the UK, 88 per cent of household waste is disposed of in landfill sites. Yet recent surveys reveal that nine out of ten people would recycle more waste if it were made easier. The UK currently languishes near the bottom of the European recycling league table. This book explores the increasing concern over the UK's growing waste problems. Chapter two looks at a variety of ways of reducing and recycling waste.
The information comes from a wide variety of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: The Problem of Waste
The problem with waste, What a waste, Waste words, A brief history of rubbish, Waste facts, What happens to the rubbish we produce?, Incineration and landfill, Quick facts about litter, Packaging waste, Food packaging, Pigeon population plump and rising, Study serves up nappy dilemma for parents, The nappy debate, The rubbish problem.
Chapter Two: Tackling Waste
Waste prevention and you, What can you do about waste?, Waste in the workplace, Litter louts face new on-the-spo fines, Fly tipping, Dumping on Britain, The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, Recycling, Going green, Recyclable materials, Is your brain full of rubbish?, Five reasons to recycle glass, Uses of recycled waste, Doorstep recycling survey, Should I bother recycling?, Recycle, Recycling paper, Making compost, Composting, English householders could win thousands by recycling, Recycling tips, England nears 23% household recycling rate, Coming to a bin near you..., Wasted energy?
Key Facts
Additional Resources
Index
Acknowledgements
• Waste or rubbish is what people throw away because they no longer need it or want it. Almost everything we do creates waste and as a society we are currently producing more waste than ever before. (page 1)
• Most rubbish collected from homes in the UK is buried in large holes in the ground (often old quarries) called landfill sites. Many of our current landfill sites are nearly full and we are rapidly running out of suitable land to create more. (page 3)
• Most of the rubbish is produced by the countries who are part of the developed world, although they only make up about 5% of the world’s population. The ‘throwaway lifestyle’ is not happening in every country. (page 5)
• 88% of household rubbish is disposed of in landfill sites. As the waste decomposes, it produces two dangerous substances, methane gas and leachate. (page 15)
• In Britain, we each generate an average of 522 kg of waste per year. That’s the same as 10 bags of sugar a week. (page 16)
• Recycling 120 aluminium cans saves enough energy to run a 3-bedroom house for one day. (page 26)
• 80% of what we buy ends up being discarded within six months. (page 30)
• Composting is a natural process that occurs when degradable materials break down. About 33% of household waste can be composted. (page 33)
• There is the opportunity for certain types of waste to produce up to 17% of electricity generated in the UK by 2020. (page 39)
The Waste Problem Study Guide
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.50
ISBN: 978 1 86168 356 4
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