Waste Not, Want Not ?

Some British recycling statistics for you ...... which don't make for great reading!The UK recycles 17.7% of its waste - Norway manages 40%, Netherlands 46%, Germany 48%, Austria 49.7% and Switzerland 52%.50% of local authority collected waste goes to landfill - the EU average is 40%.40% of household waste was recycled in England in 2010/2011. The average waste per person has fallen 88Kg since 2006 - to 263Kg per person per year in 2011.Each year the UK generates 290 million tonnes of waste. In 2012 nearly 140 million tonnes of waste went to regulated facilities - 45.9M tonnes went to landfill, 41.4M tonnes were moved before disposal, 32.2M tonnes were treated. 14.7 M tonnes were recycled, 5.9M tonnes were incinerated.  There was a less than 2% reduction in waste to landfill between 2009 and 2010.5.3M tonnes of food and drink waste went to landfill last year. What a waste!23% of "renewable" energy comes from burning waste.Recycling paper saves 70% energy and 40% water compared to manufacturing paper.About 2 billion steel cans are recycled in Britain every year.It takes 1000 (yes, ONE THOUSAND) years for a plastic bag to completely degrade. Sources: Environment Agency / SITA UK / Defra