On average, each of us in the UK throws away half a tonne of material each year. Most of this rubbish is buried or burned, polluting air and water and releasing climate-changing gases. Most of the things that we throw away could be a valuable resource for someone, somewhere.
We have held
a number of actions to increase awareness and to encourage members
of the public to take action on waste issues: from signing a petition
against excessive supermarket packaging to
writing a letter in response to the Government's Waste
Strategy review, to reducing the number of plastic
bags they use when they're out shopping.
The Greater
Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) has recently announced
a £3 billion contract for the treatment of Greater Manchester's
waste for the next 25 years. Find out more about the contract on the GMWDA
website, take a virtual tour of one
of the five new waste treatment plants that are planned for the city,
and find out what we think of the plans...
Friends of the
Earth have conducted a survey on doorstep recycling in England - find
out how your council fared.
Check out our
44 top tips for reducing waste and our 12
top tips for a Green Christmas...
Take
Action: ask Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment
and Joan Ruddock, the Minister in charge of waste, to focus on waste
minimisation and recycling instead of incineration, and find out
where you can recycle your waste.