I have recently become a bit of a self-confessed waste nerd; however as I talk excitedly with friends about the frequency of bin collections and why I’ve got an orange bag for recycling and they’ve got a green recycling bin, I’ve been reassured by the realisation that we’re all waste nerds! It’s not just me – everyone I talk to is interested in waste, particularly what happens to it. And this is good news, as the UK faces some serious waste challenges. Despite the best efforts of government campaigns and environmentalists, we still chuck out far too much stuff. Figures published by the European Union on the 8th March show that in 2009 the UK sent 26% of our waste for dry recycling, 14% for composting, 11% for incineration and 48% to landfill. This compares with an EU average of 38% to landfill and demonstrates our over-reliance on landfill. Not only is continuing to bury waste in big holes in the ground unsustainable environmentally – landfill sites emit large amounts of CO2 and methane emissions as well as scarring the landscape – it is also unsustainable financially. The cost to dispose of a tonne of landfill is around £80, however this is set to rise further particularly with the prospect of some hefty EU fines for local councils from 2012 if targets are not met.
It is odd to me that virtually everyone I talk to is interested in waste, most of us know we need to reduce the amount we throw out combined with recycling and re-using more, and yet there doesn’t seem to be an effective performance loop in place to tell us how we’re doing. Councils measure waste thoroughly, even down to specific material streams, so there is a wealth of data available. I’m excited about applying my new-found interest in waste to our Local Green Points scheme as Green Rewards works with councils to help their communications, providing a performance feedback loop direct into people’s homes as well as a programme of rewards for households. We’ve just launched London Green Points and I’m delighted that Neil Fox has agreed to act as ‘ambassador’ for London Green Points, with our first waste reduction scheme due to start in Bexley shortly. Our approach, which provides households with Green Points that can be spent on community projects in their area as well as on themselves, is already attracting a lot of interest not just in London but from local councils across the country. It will be interesting to see what impact our ‘carrot’ approach has versus the draconian ‘stick’ approach some local authorities now seem to be adopting; only this week I got a letter from Lambeth telling me I could face a fine of £1,000 if I didn’t recycle – when I get a minute I must ring Lambeth and ask them how they’ll differentiate my orange recycling bag from those put out by other flat-dwellers!
Further Information
Practical tips to reduce your food waste
It is staggering how much food ends up in landfill which emits a huge amount of CO2. We are an organic food brand but one of our big objectives is trying to get people to cut down on the food they waste as well as getting more people to recycle all the packaging.
Well done to Graham Simmonds and his team for giving us more carrots to recycle. Carrots are an underrated vegetable, and Graham's points system should encourage those who are perplexed about recycling to take up the cause. Enthusiasts who have become a bit wary of supporting the cause should take to their bags with renewed vigour. There is just one thing worth considering, though. Councils don't want to send things to landfill because the landfill tax is costing them more money on a sliding scale. So all the nasty things that used to go to landfill are going somewhere else. But where - and what are all the nasties being used for? Councils are remarkably quiet on this one. It was only a few weeks ago that some cereal manufacturers said they were switching away from recycled cardboard because it could contaminate packet contents! We should be told!
Thanks Graham, an excellent piece. I had no idea how much waste still ends up in landfill, and importantly how much that all costs! In these economically challenging times, more focus on reducing this number will help us all.
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