The Environment

Waste and recycling

What is waste and recycling?

Waste is what we no longer want and throw away. Waste can include anything from rotten food to clothes, computers, old furniture and so on. Also, what may seem like waste to you and me, may very well be something somebody else really wants. That is why we have to be careful what we throw away. Can what we are throwing out be used by somebody else? Or can the item of rubbish we are throwing out, be remade into something else?

About 31,000,000 tonnes of waste is created each year in the UK.
What can we do with this waste?

Could We Bury It?
According to the UK government, many of the country's landfills have been closed for one or both of these two reasons:

They were full.
They were contaminating groundwater- the water that flows beneath these deep holes is our drinking water. Once groundwater is contaminated, it is extremely expensive and difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to clean it up.

Could We Burn It?
Yes and no. Incineration does generate energy, but at a cost--it may release toxins into the air and create ash that requires disposal in hazardous-waste landfills, and that takes us back to our starting point:

What is the best solution?
In order to cut down what we throw away, it is imperative that we reduce what we use; re-use anything and everything where and when possible; and last but not least, recycle.

Recycling basically entails taking an object that has already been used and passing it through a system that enables that substance to be reused. Recycling helps to save raw materials, consume energy and helps reduce the number of landfill sites.

The three main ways to recycle within Blackburn with Darwen Borough is via the doorstep refuse collections (what we call Kerbside collections); at designated recycling banks; and at the household waste recycling centres (George Street West, Blackburn and Springvale Road, Darwen). The main bulk of the materials that we can recycle within our borough include paper, glass, plastics and metals.

Are we any good at recycling in the UK?
In the UK (as compared to other countries in Europe), the amount our homes and businesses currently recycle is quite low. In 2000 our homes only recycled about 8% or our household rubbish. Now we are recycling about 35% of our rubbish. We still have to improve on this as by 2010 the Government wants us to be recycling almost half of our household waste otherwise they will start imposing fines. Despite this, there are still some things that, as a country, we are still quite good at recycling. These include construction and demolition waste and sewage sludge.

Paper waste generated by homes (newspapers, junk mail etc) creates nearly a million tonnes of waste each year. Paper makes up over one third of all recycled household waste, though still only represents 10% of the total paper used in our country. In contrast, over 50% of paper waste produced by the newspaper industry is currently being recycled. To enable people to recycle waste paper from their homes, we as a council now collect paper as part of our refuse collection. You can still also recycle paper at specific paper recycling banks which can be found in designated car parks and supermarkets around the borough.

Approximately 6 to 8% of UK household waste comprises of glass jars and bottles. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the largest producers of waste glass bottles (hotels and pubs) though it is still a significant amount, which needs to be recycled in order to keep it out of landfill. Again we as a council will pick glass up from your doorstep but there are also some specific glass recycling bottle banks around the borough. The UK currently recycles about one third of its glass. This is far behind glass recycling rates in other European countries. Switzerland and the Netherlands for example have recycling rates as high as 80%.

Plastics make up a large amount of waste, since they are available in different types. In Western Europe the largest amounts of plastic occur in the form of packaging. The UK produces approximately about 4.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year. The UK has a plastics recycling rate of only 3%. In Germany the recycling rate for plastic is 70%.

The UK has a recycling rate of approximately 60% for metals (iron and steel). Most of this waste comes from scrap vehicles, cooker, fridges and other kitchen appliances. It is estimated that the metal content of household waste is between 5 and 10%. It is mainly made up of aluminium drinks cans and tin-plated steel food cans. Aluminium recycling is already widely established in the UK. It is an expensive metal and can therefore produce high incomes for recycling schemes. Copper, zinc and lead are also recycled in the UK. At present, over a third of aluminium drinks cans are recycled. Some other countries have even higher recycling figures for aluminium drinks cans. The USA and Australia for example, recycle nearly two thirds of their entire aluminium can waste.

What exactly can be recycled from your doorstep within Blackburn with Darwen Borough?
Newspapers, Cardboard, envelopes, junk mail, catalogues, phone directories, birthday cards, wrapping paper, food cans, drink cans, crisp packets, plastic bottles, glass bottles, glass jars, carrier bags, yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, drinks cartons...

If you require further information on recycling and refuse please call B-Direct on 01254 585921.