The British Public Recycles
If you think commercial recycling waste isn’t a big issue in Britain, think again. A staggering 9.5 billion drink cans are thrown out yearly, and over 40,000 different types of plastics. And then you think about the waste your council collects, which makes it even more important that the British public recycles as much of their household waste as possible. It is also just as essential to ensure your business is disposing of commercial waste correctly and has a commercial waste management plan in place. So how do we manage this waste? You can take a few steps to make it easier for your household or business waste recycling.
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VIDEO
The British Public Recycles Single Use Cans
9.5 billion drinks cans were sold in the UK last year.
The government attempts to cut its waste by encouraging consumers to recycle empty drink containers. The scheme could include juice cartons and other plastic bottles and glass containers. It would also involve a small charge, refunded when the drink container is recycled. Similar schemes already exist in Scotland and several other European countries. The environment minister, Jo Churchill, said she had not ruled out the idea of including juice cartons.
The government is also considering extending the scheme to glass bottles. There are many myths surrounding recycling. Some of the most common myths include that metal packaging is hard to recycle and doesn’t benefit the environment. Many of these myths are being actively dispelled by The Can Makers, a company dedicated to promoting the sustainable use of drink cans. The company has launched a student video competition to educate the public about recycling.
The government plans to introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks in the UK to encourage people to return cans or bottles to recycling centres. The scheme is similar to those used in other countries and charges consumers a small deposit for returning plastic, metal and glass bottles. The government has proposed a 10 to 20 pence deposit for each can or bottle a consumer returns for public recycling. It is important to note that the UK currently ranks 16th in global recycling statistics. Wales is the second-best recycler.
The British Public Recycles Different Types of Plastic
There are Forty thousand different types of plastics in existence.
There are over 40,000 different types of plastics in use today. The British are responsible for producing about half of these. Plastics are manufactured in different ways, with additives added to improve their properties. These additives include stabilisers, fillers, and dyes. Transparent plastics are the most valuable, but they can also be dyed. Black plastics are less valuable and can discolour products. To recycle plastic, it must be sorted into colour and polymer type.
Polyethene is the most common type of plastic. It is strong, flexible, and heat-resistant. It was first used as an insulating material during World War II and later found its way into consumer goods.
In the 1930s, the company DuPont made a series of breakthroughs and Nylon, a replacement for silk in parachutes. Nylon stockings made people’s lives easier and became a worldwide sensation.
Although plastic is abundant today, its chemical properties make recycling difficult.
It takes thousands of years to degrade in landfills.
Many people think of plastic as ugly, inauthentic, and disposable. This is often true.
The film “The Graduate” has made plastic an emblem of consumerism. The visible effects of plastic pollution are a persistent complaint. Often, plastic bags become entangled in trees and are nicknamed “witches’ knickers.” Scientists at Plymouth University found that a third of UK fish contained plastic. The fish included cod, haddock, and mackerel.
The British Public Recycle: Commercial Waste Management
The UK has a high level of waste management, but the public still does not recycle enough of it.
Many UK household waste could be recycled and should be separated from other waste. By separating the waste into separate streams, more of it will be diverted away from landfills, allowing more materials to be reused, and helping the environment. Unfortunately, this is not the case in most areas. Fortunately, anyone can do some simple things to improve their recycling rates.
In 1940, Britain’s first systematic recycling scheme was launched with a leaflet. The leaflet was part of Britain’s most influential government publicity campaign. Radio broadcasts, propaganda films, newsreel interviews, and newspaper advertisements spread the message. Even the Ministry of Aircraft Production made a poorly coordinated appeal for aluminium, which increased nearly 50% in the amount of household waste recycled.
A separate appeal enticed people to recycle their waste during the Second World War. In the UK, recycling rates for household waste vary considerably. Although the recycling rate varies between counties, in densely populated areas, boroughs are significantly lower than in rural areas. However, boroughs with similar urban characteristics present varying performance levels, with Bexley showing the highest recycling rate and Newham reporting the lowest.
Therefore, the UK government should consider mandatory recycling to address the barriers associated with socioeconomic factors and the lack of infrastructure to support it. Local authority collected waste measure The Waste Strategy has implications for local authorities, including their ability to collect and dispose of waste.
The government has removed guidance on fortnightly collections and has supported weekly collections.
However, the government must balance householders’ access to regular collection services with the need to collect “smelly” waste systematically.
To that end, the government has introduced a new measure of local authority collected waste.
The government’s circular economy framework requires local authorities to report on their progress toward achieving a higher recycling and waste diversion level.
This includes tracking how much waste is disposed of in landfills, transformation facilities, and by local governments.
The state’s public recycling policy explains how to calculate these measures. It can also help to determine the costs of recycling and waste treatment.
To that end, local governments can use a model to guide their decision-making.
Regarding waste diversion, the government has argued that local authorities are best placed to understand local challenges and deliver services on a local scale.
However, not all local authorities collect the same materials and do not charge householders for dropping off small-scale DIY construction waste. Further, only a third of local authorities collect separate food waste, which is particularly problematic because the packaging is often not labelled.
The British Public Recycle: RecoMed Take-Back Scheme
The RecoMed take-back scheme for the public recycles PVC medical devices in the UK. It is the first scheme of its kind globally. It coordinates every step of the recycling journey, from providing PVC collection bins to delivering shredded plastic to specialist recyclers. The scheme aims to increase the recycling rate of PVC medical devices, which costs hospitals substantial sums of money to manage.
The RecoMed take-back scheme has recouped over 22.5 tonnes of PVC, equivalent to 747,000 oxygen masks. Most of this was collected in 2019, according to Mick Claes, Senior Consultant at Axion Consulting, the project leader of RecoMed. RecoMed also provides hospitals with communication and recycling containers and aims to reduce the amount of waste in landfills.
The UK’s recycling rate has been lagging behind other European nations regarding recycling waste, with only 42% recycling household waste in 2015. This is far lower than the recycling rate in Germany, nearly 60%. Other countries with a higher recycling rate include the Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway. The UK ranked 12th, far behind the countries with the highest recycling rates, but ahead of Spain and Norway.
Below are the projected EU waste targets:
Current targets (%)
By 2025 (%)
By 2030 (%)
All packaging
55
65
Plastic
25
50
Wood
15
25
Ferrous metals
50 (incl. Al)
70
Aluminium
–
50
Glass
60
70
Paper and cardboard
60
75
The United Kingdom is committed to increasing its recycling rates. In 2017, the recycling rate of household waste reached 45.7%, slightly below the EU target of 50% by 2020. However, it increased by just a fraction, with household waste falling by 5.1 per cent. During this time, more materials are being recycled – and more people are making a conscious effort to recycle.
Ultimately, this will help the UK meet its goals of creating a circular economy and protecting our natural resources. The UK’s recycling rate decline has been linked to several factors. The COVID-19 pandemic hurt some waste services, causing them to close. However, dry recycling was able to offset the adverse effects of the closure of HWRCs. In addition, the closure of charity shops and other facilities impacted the recycling of textiles and WEEE. Although these changes may not significantly impact the UK’s recycling rate, they are certainly not encouraging.
The British Public Recycles – Learn more about UK business waste statistics here
Other useful links from our Commercial Waste Centre
Why Should Your Business Go Paperless?
Choosing a Garage Waste Management Service
Developing an EMS for Hazardous Waste
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