Recycling facts in the UK

We try to do our bit for recycling, and it’s widely accepted in the UK as a good thing, but surveys show that 9 out of 10 people say that they would recycle more if it were made easier. Here are some recycling facts that could help to encourage us to recycle more:

1. A tonne of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000KW of energy and 7,000 gallons of water.

2. Every person in the UK on average throws away their own body weight in rubbish every seven weeks.

3. On average, 16% of the money we spend on products pays for the packaging – which is ultimately thrown away.

4. The UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste each year. This rate of rubbish generation would fill the Albert Hall in London in less than two hours.

5. Glass takes up to 4,000 years to decompose in a landfill, yet can be recycled indefinitely.

6. Incinerating 10,000 tonnes of waste creates one job, 10,000 tonnes of waste that goes in landfill creates six jobs, but recycling the same amount of waste creates 36 jobs.

7. As much as 50% of waste in an average dustbin could be composted.

8. £36,000,000 worth of aluminium cans are thrown away each year.

9. Each tonne of paper that’s recycled can power a three bedroom house for a whole year.

10. Gold can always be recycled because of its value; modern jewellery could contain gold that was mined back in prehistoric times.

11. With our wide range of charity shops in towns, Britain only recycled 2-4% of its clothing.

12. We bury 80% of our rubbish in landfill sites, Switzerland buries only 7%.

 

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• Recycling wood: how wood pellets are made
• The importance of recycling