We encourage residents in North Somerset to reduce,
reuse and recycle as much as possible to help us win the war on
waste.
Why is waste a
problem?
Waste causes considerable environmental damage and landfill
sites are responsible for releasing 25% of the UK methane
emissions. In 2006/07 64% of household waste was sent to
landfill and we are rapidly running out of places to bury it.
Reducing the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill is
a very effective way of reducing the UK’s methane production and
may help to slow the increase in global warming.
Most importantly, when we bury or burn our rubbish we are losing
valuable natural resources like the energy and time used to
make the product and the vast majority of these resources cannot be
replaced. If we carry on indefinitely we would run out of these
resources. This also creates additional environmental impacts
associated with the extracting of the new resources, its
manufacture and distribution of those goods.
What are we doing to address the
problem?
Dealing with our rubbish by landfill is not an ideal solution,
so at a full council meeting on Tuesday 13 October 2009
councillors voted to introduce a vastly improved waste and
recycling service and launch the recycling revolution! Changes
included:
- extensions to the weekly kerbside recycling scheme to allow
collection of more items
- a weekly food waste collection using lockable containers
- a wheeled bin for any non-recyclable waste left over, collected
every other week.
- collections on bank holidays throughout the year apart from
Christmas and New Year
Although these changes have brought massive improvements to the
way waste is managed in North Somerset, there is still work to be
done and we urge everyone to recycle as much as possible.
How can reusing items
help?
Reusing is often confused with recycling, but they are
really quite different. Reuse is the second stage of reducing your
waste and involves the repeated use of items for their original
task, or for an alternative task.
Does buying recycled products make a
difference?
For recycling to work there needs to be a market for the
products made out of recycled materials. Buying recycled
products helps keep reusable material in the economy, reduces
waste and saves our resources. For more information visit the
Recycled Products
Guide website.
Love food, hate
waste?
The "Love Food, Hate Waste" campaign aims to raise awareness of
the need to reduce the amount of food that we throw away, and how
doing this will benefit us as consumers and the environment. For
more information visit the
Love Food, Hate
Waste website.
How can I stop unwanted junk
mail?
More than half a million tonnes of unwanted mail is
generated in the UK every year, this is the equivalent of
nearly eight and a half million trees. There are some steps
you can take to reduce unwanted mail:
- opt out of the Royal Mail's door-to-door service for
unaddressed mail, for more information visit
the
Royal Mail website
- opt out of being listed on the commercially available electoral
register, for more information visit the
Electoral Commission website
- register with the Mail Preference Service (MPS) to have
your name taken off direct mailing lists, for more information
visit the
MPS
website
Does the amount of packaging
on a product make a difference?
Packaging is important in keeping products fresh and safe from
production to the consumer, however many products are
over-packaged. Over 30 retailers, brands and suppliers who
represent 92% of the UK grocery sector signed the
Courtauld Commitment which aims to find new ways
of reducing packaging and food waste across the whole supply
chain. For more information visit the
WRAP
website.
By buying products with less packaging, you can help to reduce
the amount of waste generated. For example, buy loose
items rather than alternatives that are heavily
packaged. Buying refills for products such as washing
detergents, coffee and hand wash can save you money too.
Are real nappies a good alternative
to disposables?
Real nappies are healthier and easier to use than you may
think. If you are interested in real nappies and are a parent,
health professional or in the business, we would like you to join
our North
Somerset Nappy Alliance.
How do you combat
fly-tipping?
Together with the Environment Agency we are responsible
for investigating fly tipping incidents in North
Somerset.
Fly-tipping carries a maximum fine of £50,000 and costs us more
than £70,000 a year to clean up. We always try to recover this
money from the perpetrators, you can help by
reporting fly-tipped waste to us.
