Rubbish - Do you ever consider what happens to it once you have thrown it in the bin?

The UK produces more than 25 million tonnes of household rubbish per year and the amount grows every year. At present rates, we will double the amount of waste produced in the UK by 2020.

Residents of Newark and Sherwood contribute approximately 50,000 tonnes to this total - that's over 1 tonne per household of rubbish the majority of which is currently buried in the ground.

So what can we do about it?

Continuing to use landfill sites is unsustainable. In order to preserve our current capacity for as long as possible and to ensure that resources are used efficiently, we need to look at what we throw away. Many of the materials which we simply disregard can be put to better use by recycling them.

What is Recycling?

Recycling is the processing of waste products to provide the raw materials to make new ones. Before this can be done, the materials need to be collected. The recycling loop is completed when new products are made and sold from this material.

This all makes perfect sense, so why haven't we already done it?

Until recently local councils were not obliged to provide collection routes for materials which could be recycled. This was because offering recycling services was often more expensive than simply collecting your rubbish and burying it. Things have now changed.

Government has instructed all local authorities to recycle more. Newark and Sherwood must achieve a recycling rate of 30% by 2010. We believe that we can reach this target as we are already recycling over 26%. Government will reward us financially if we achieve this target.

FACT - There are currently just 2 landfill sites in our district! 

Why aim higher?

The research we have undertaken shows that a typical bin in Newark and Sherwood consists of the following materials:

Much of this can and is being recycled using our Twin Bin collection service.  Together we can make a difference and everybody has a responsibility to make it work. A successful partnership between the council and you can help ensure a better world for our children and grandchildren.

The local authorities in Nottinghamshire have developed an Integrated Waste Strategy for Nottinghamshire to ensure household rubbish is managed more sustainably. You can find out more on the recycle for nottinghamshire website.