|
If you do not recycle your household waste everything that you put into the bin either goes to landfill sites or is incinerated. Some councils export waste to other countries.
Why are landfill sites not the best option for waste?
- Dangerous chemicals from our waste products all mix together producing a dangerous cocktail of liquid waste. However this waste is collected and disposed of properly and care is taken to stop chemicals from leaking into the soil and groundwater.
- Carbon dioxide is realised from landfill sites as waste under the ground is decomposed by anaerobic processes. This contributes to the greenhouse effect and climate change. Though on some landfill sites this gas is harnessed and reused.
- In the UK we are running out of space to build new landfill sites and current sites are becoming full.
- We are not recycling any of the materials in the landfill, which could have been used again, which would reduce the amount of fossil fuels needed to make new products and packaging.
Why is incinerating waste not the best option for the environment?
- These materials could be recycled and reused saving energy, fossil fuels and reducing the negative impact on the environment.
- Electricity can be produced from waste incineration so it isn’t all bad.
Why is exporting waste a bad idea?
- It is polluting to the environment to transport large amounts of waste from place to place, either on ships or/and lorry’s.
- Countries that take the waste may not know how to dispose of it safely and may end up polluting their soil and water, causing human and animal suffering and/or the damage and loss of crops and natural habitats.
Did you know?
The UK produces about 330 million tonnes of waste every year. This is a lot of waste which needs to be disposed of safely and environmentally.
It is important to reduce the waste we create as there is no 100% efficient way of disposing of it without damaging the environment and wasting precious resources.
 Reduce – Reduce the amount of items you buy, only buy what you need to and try to buy things that don’t have excess packaging on them.- Reuse- Reuse and fix things that are broken, instead of buying new and throwing away the old. Reuse carrier bags at shops, old jars can be used to store odds and ends, scrap paper can be used to make notes and sketches on and plastic bottles can be reused for drinks.
- Recycle- Recycling means materials (e.g. plastic, paper, glass) can be used again instead of having to burn more fossil fuels to make new materials.
Composting of food and garden waste reduces your household waste, plus you can use the compost in your garden after it has rotted down to grow plants and flowers.
Things that can be composted:
- Comfrey leaves
- Grass cuttings
- Raw vegetable peelings from your kitchen
- Tea bags, tea leaves, coffee grounds
- Cardboard eg. cereal packets and egg boxes
- Waste paper and junk mail, including shredded confidential paper waste
- Cardboard tubes
- Newspaper – although it is better for the environment to send your newspapers for recycling
- Bedding from pets eg rabbits, guinea pigs – hay, straw, shredded paper, wood shavings
- Tough hedge clippings
- Fallen leaves can be composted
- Hair, nail clippings
- Egg shells (crushed)
What can you do every dayto help the environment?
- Where possible reduce your waste and reuse items as much as possible.
- Recycle all your waste correctly.
- Compost anything that can be composted.
Can you think of ways to reduce and reuse your waste?
Do you follow the 3 Rs at school?
 Previous | Next 
|
|
Children's Windy World
