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.