Recycling In Modern Cities

It is shocking how much waste humans collectively produce. As government estimation, about 288 million tonnes of waste was produced in UK in 2008. In London alone, about 17 million tonnes waste is produced every year and it is expected that the figure will go up to 26.5 million tonnes by 2020.

Though the production of waste is on the rise, the good thing is that more and more people are aware of harmful effects it has on the environment. People are getting the waste recycled instead of burying them in the landfill sites. All the modern cities in UK have several government as well as private recycling facilities where old things and junk made of plastic, timber, glass, textile, paper and metal are turned into new things.

While waste is part of everyday life in every household, some people don’t realise that at least 60% of it can be recycled. Have you wondered when you buy a product how much you spend on the product you need while how much on just packaging? The packaging cost could be up to 16%. The material used in packaging the product ends up in the dustbins and becomes a major part of the waste.

Despite the increasing facilities of recycling, UK legs behind in recycling of waste compared to several other EU countries. It has forced the government to come up with legislations and policies.

What is recycled?

Simple things like cold drink cans or paper cups make up a major part of the waste produced in metro cities in UK.

• Cans: As an estimate, about 12 billion cans are used in UK every year, and that is why waste from cans is a major concern for authorities. The cans are compressed and melted in recycling facilities and are turned into new aluminium.
• Glass: Like aluminium, glass too consumes lots of energy if manufactured from scratch. Depending on the type of the glass, different recycling methods are used. They are crushed, cleaned and made into new glass.
• Paper: Recycling paper saves not only energy, but also trees. For recycling, the papers are shredded, pulped, screened and then de-inked. They are then made into new paper.
• Plastic: Plastic is shredded and cleaned. It is then melted and can be pelletized.
• Other waste: Shoes, textile and clothes are some of the other waste which is recycled at recycling facilities.

Junk categories

The junk which is produced by household as well as various organisations is categorised and recycled or disposed of accordingly. Below are some broad categories of waste –

• Household waste
• Garden waste
• Food waste
• Clinical waste
• Hazardous waste
• Commercial waste

Recycling in cities

In UK, the city councils actively work towards the aim of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and instead recycling it. A resident can seek advice and help from the local council’s website or other resources how household, commercial or garden waste can be disposed of for recycling with help of the respective council or a private waste recycling agency. Residents can hire a waste recycling professional agency like All Your Junk which ties up with tipping centres to get the waste recycled. Some of the junk can go to charity. A professional agency ties up with charity organisations also for a better use of junk.

It is every resident’s responsibility to help the authorities protect the environment. The best way to contribute is to get as much waste recycled or safely disposed of as possible.

If you have a load of rubbish that you want recycled then please give us a call today.