Our Burning and Burying Habit

In November 2021, the government passed a new Environment Act, including targets to halve the waste that ends up at landfill or incineration by 2042. 

Currently, UK households only recycle about 45.7% of their waste. Paper and cardboard are the most commonly recycled materials at a rate of 79%, followed by metal at 71.3%, and despite being endlessly recyclable, glass lags behind at a rate of 67.6%. For these, much of the recycling is carried out in the UK, which means that the material can be tracked throughout its waste processing journey.

Plastic is by far the least recycled material in our waste stream, with a recycling rate of 43.8%.Two-thirds of this "recycled" plastic waste is sent overseas, mostly to countries in South and East Asia, where it often fails to meet quality standards and ends up in foreign landfill or incineration facilities. Research by The University of Manchester has suggested that an alarming 95% of plastic packaging ends up in landfill or the environment. 

Our habit of outsourcing contaminated plastic led to China announcing in 2017 that it would no longer accept foreign recycling that wasn't 99.5% pure, India banning plastic imports in 2019 and Malaysia's Environment Minister, Yeo Bee Yin stating in 2020 that the country will no longer be a "dumping ground to the world". 

Since China announced that they were putting a halt to receiving our low-grade plastic, the use of energy-from-waste incineration plants has been steadily increasing. Government figures show that in 2018-19 nearly half (43.8%) of waste collected by local authorities from households in England was burnt, a trend which has also been driving up our country's Greenhouse Gas emissions.

The new government targets are a step in the right direction, and there are things you can do at home to help:  

• Consider your consumption

Think about ways that you can reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste that you produce and consider swapping out plastic products for products made from glass or metal 

• Recycle your waste electrical equipment 

Anything with a cable, charger or battery can be recycled! Find your nearest recycling hub here

• Donate your unwanted clothes 

Instead of throwing your clothes in the bin, consider donating them to local charity shops or even selling them on online platforms such as Depop or EBay 

•  Remember recycling rules

Take the time to learn about the rules on recycling in your local area, you might be surprised by what you can recycle! Find out more here 

EMERGE provides environmental education and advice on resource management, waste composition and sustainable procurement issues. Our business services include everything from recycling collections to confidential document shredding.