Friends of the Earth: Campaigns: Waste: The mess we're in

The mess we're in!

We are a nation addicted to chucking stuff out. But most of what we call waste could be used again by someone else.

If everyone in the world was as wasteful as we are in the UK we would need 8 worlds to keep going.

At the heart of the problem is a relentless cycle of...

Over production
Making so much new stuff, uses up the world's valuable natural resources. Logging and paper companies like Asia Pulp and Paper wreck rainforests. Elsewhere producers are damaging our peat bogs and degrading wildlife sites.

Bad practice
Using too many fossil fuels in the production process causes climate change. Factories and landfill pollute because companies put financial profit before good practice. Things aren't made to last so they need replacing prematurely.

Excessive disposal
The average person in the UK throws out their body weight in rubbish every 3 months. Most of this could be reprocessed but instead it is sent to incinerators or landfill.

Rather than tackle the problems through recycling and waste reduction, the Government burns and dumps our waste.

Images: © NASA

Last modified:
Menu: April 2008
Content: July 2002