Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Waste
The Three Rs - Why Bother?
The quantity of waste generated in County Durham each year can fill Durham Cathedral more than 30 times over! Over 280,000 tonnes of household waste is produced in the County every year and much of this ends up being buried in the ground, in landfill sites. Should this level of waste be of concern to us and if so why?Landfill
Firstly, landfilling waste is not a very sensible way of disposing of our waste. Old landfill sites fill up and new sites have to be identified in order to dispose of our waste. The greater the volume of rubbish - the more space that has to be found and let’s be honest - who wants a landfill site in their backyard? Reducing waste extends the life-time of existing landfills and thus conserves the British countryside. Also, landfills are associated with local pollution of water courses as well as creating methane which contributes to global warming. Landfills are also associated with litter, odours and vermin which affects the local community.Climate Change
Recycling can help to reduce climate change.Think about the amount of energy it takes to make a product and the amount of packaging that often comes with it! Then think how wasteful it is just to bury that product in the ground!
Carbon dioxide is given off when electricity or energy is generated. Carbon dioxide contributes to climate change. To produce materials such as aluminium, steel, glass, plastics and paper requires large amounts of energy for extraction and processing. However, if you recycle existing material (such as that in your bin!) you can reduce the amount of energy required. This saves carbon dioxide and reduces the impact of climate change.
