Household Rubbish on the Rise

Household Rubbish on the Rise: What a Waste!

It seems that the waste that is disposed of from the average UK household is in fact on the rise. Figures have shown that household waste has increased dramatically by a huge 60% in recent years, which can be due to green on our behalf and the ways in which society forces us to consume. The UK now produces around 330 million tonnes of waste each year, a substantial amount from such a small continent.  Countries within other larger continents are seemingly trying their hardest to reduce the amount of waste they produce and the UK needs to follow suit.

Many have blamed this huge rise of waste on the fortnightly bin collections which has overrode the once a week collection in previous years. The growth of housing within communities may also be a contributing factor which has also occurred in recent years.

The councils in England suggest that changes need to be made in order to cut back on the amount of landfill waste which is on the rise each year; stating that by 2020, recycling rates need to be over 50% of all waste disposed to preserve the planet. With hope, the introduction of recycling with homes and businesses have allowed recycling rates to increase in recent years, which is a positive step forward.

The UK produces more waste per person than any other country in Europe and also comes bottom in the amount of waste which is recycled. According to BBC News, in 2007, the average household only recycled 18% of all recyclable rubbish, which was far behind the EU average of 36.4%.

The Netherlands is the most ‘green’ country in terms of waste management and recycles over 64% of their waste. On the other hand, Greece is the least green and eco-friendly country in terms of manging the amount of waste create; dumping a whopping 90% of all waste without any thought about recyclable material.

In 2007 when this waste management panic first arose, David Miliband claimed “Our key objectives are less waste, more re-use and recycling, more energy from waste and less landfill”.

Currently, the majority of our waste ends up being dumped on landfill, where biodegradable waste generates methane. Methane gas is highly damaging to the environment, with about 3% causing emissions which contribute to the greenhouse gases. Yet, the energy that is produced when recycling takes place is extremely valuable to the environment. In comparison, the energy used to create new products from waste contributes to the effects of climate change and eventually needs to be thought out for the best solution.