Recycling is the key to proper waste management. That is what every rubbish removal experts is going to tell you, simply because it is the truth. That is why we are so happy that in the past decade or so recycling became an integral part of the Government’s and every local council’s environment protection policy. But exactly is the current state of recycling in the UK as a whole?
It is more than safe to assume that it has become an inevitable part of the way in which nearly every household in the country manages its domestic waste. You are part of the trend if you do any of the following things: collect bottles, cardboard, or get your garbage sorted out in the depot. There is one sure thing – every single British citizen has been related to the process of recycling at least for a part of his or hers life.
These are all good news of course, but the truth is that there is still much to be done. The European environment protection policies become stricter and stricter every year and in order to keep up with them, we have to work hard constantly. Fifteen years ago nearly 90% of all the junk we have produced ended up on the landfills. Most of it was buried deep in the underground galleries of former mines. This was a process that was generally accepted to be safe for the environment, and even though we have learned that it is actually not, it took some time to adjust. Despite this fact, today over 43% of UK’s junk is recycled. This is a pretty impressive improvement when you come to think of it, but the numbers are far from the desired ones.
According to the stats put forward by the EU Recycling League, Britain is somewhere in the middle of the list and way behind the leading countries in the field like Denmark which practically produces zero junk on a yearly basis and deservedly tops the chart.
Now you see why we still have a long road ahead of us? According to the EU regulations, the percentage of household junk that is to be recycled by 2020 in all counties of the Union should be at least 70%. UK might not catch up if we continue the growth in recycling with the current speed.
What are the reasons for this arrested development? As always, everything comes down to money. It is cheaper to send rubbish to the landfill. What investors do not understand however is that some materials are worth three times the price for the drive to the landfill if they are properly recycled. Reusing materials leads to the so called Circular Economy in which the extraction of raw materials is very limited, which is environment friendly and further reduces the costs of individual products – it is good for everyone. Once more companies realize that, everything is going to be alright. It is a question of hard work and dedication as always.