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 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 more about what you can do go to
recycling in Suffolk
Coastal.