Waste is a symptom of a
society that is not making the best use of the precious
resources on our planet. Resources that include the time,
money, raw materials and energy that went into making the
product and resources such as precious land that are used up
by its disposal. Waste is a drag on the economy and business
productivity. Improving the productivity with which we use
natural resources can generate new opportunities and jobs.
What can we do?
Minimise our waste
Whilst Suffolk Coastal is committed to recycling and composting
as much as possible, it is more environmentally sustainable to
avoid producing the waste in the first place. By reducing and
reusing our waste at source (there are a lot of easy
easy things we can all do to minimise the
waste we produce), we can avoid the need to collect and treat it,
thus avoiding the associated costs of transport and
energy.
Recycle our waste
Recycling as a sector employs at least 18,000 people. It can
save energy and conserve the environment. For example, did you know
that:
- 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a
television for 3 hours.
- 1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a
computer for 25 minutes.
- 1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a
60 watt light bulb for 3 hours.
- 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with
making it from raw materials.
To find out about what you can do go to
Recycling in Suffolk
Coastal.