Since our first campaign in 1971 against non-returnable bottles, Friends of the Earth has opposed the wastefulness of the throwaway society and has called for a policy that prioritises waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

Recycling our cans, bottles and paper helps save finite resources, reduces costs and avoids the damage caused to the world's environment by extraction such as mining. It is also more energy efficient to recycle material. By cutting energy consumption we can help to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide and help combat the threat of climate change.

Over 20 million tonnes of UK domestic waste goes to landfill sites where it is buried in large holes in the ground. Toxic substances can leak from landfill sites and pollute underground water supplies. Rotting waste also produces methane, an explosive hazard and potent greenhouse gas. Reducing waste will help reduce these risks.

The favoured alternative disposal method to landfilling in the UK is burning waste in incinerators. Burning waste can release harmful substances such as dioxins which even at very low levels harm the environment and human health. Toxic ash from incinerators still has to be disposed of to landfills and can be potentially more polluting due to higher concentration of toxins.

Friends of the Earth is campaigning to:

.    Get the Government to set ambitious waste reduction targets in 1999.

.    Increase recycling of packaging and other waste, by means of a recycling target of 80% for household waste by 2010.

.    Increase use of recycled materials.

.    Increase the tax on landfill, and extend it to cover incineration.

.    Get electrical products made to last and designed for repair, reuse and recycling.

.    Prevent the building of incinerators.

Did you Know?

.    85% of people say that, if adequate collection points were available at supermarkets, they would be prepared to use returnable bottles for products such as soft drinks and wine.

.    Only one in four of the 6 billion aluminium cans consumed in 1994 were recycled. Up to 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminium from its ore is saved by recycling.

.    Achieving a 40 per cent recycling rate would create up to 11,550 additional UK jobs.

.    Out of a survey of 100 landfill sites, at least 1 in 3 experienced surface or groundwater contamination.

.    Resist the temptation to buy things you don't really need.

.    Choose products which are made to last.

.    Refuse to buy overpackaged goods or accept carrier bags, and write to the companies concerned asking them to change their practices.

.    Reuse containers - buy food, drinks, and toiletries in returnable containers, and ask local shops to stock them. Ask your office or school to provide reusable alternatives to disposable cups, plates, cutlery and hand towels. Give unwanted clothes, books and household goods to jumble sales or charity shops, and buy from them too.

.    Recycle: for information about local recycling facilities, contact you council's recycling officer. If there aren't many facilities, write a quick letter to the council saying you want more, and that you want a door-to-door collection of recyclables. Alternatively, contact Wastewatch's recycling information service Wasteline on 0171 248 0242. If you would like to set up a recycling scheme locally, ring the Community Recycling Network on 0117 942 0142.

.    Buy recycled goods.

Further reading from Friends of the Earth:

Don't Throw it All Away! Revised edition ready March 1998 T246 £3.45 book 210x150mm 49pp
ISBN 1857502000

Waste, March 1996 G385 FREE booklet 16pp ISBN 1867501287

Don't Burn it or Bury it: Alternatives to Landfill and Incineration, May 1997 L426 free briefing 9pp

Up in Smoke: Why Friends of the Earth opposes Burning of Waste, 1996 L407 free briefing 4pp ISBN 185750299X

The Incineration Campaign Guide, December 1997 L428 £15.00 A4 150pp ISBN: 1857503171

The Landfill Campaign Guide June 1997L416 £15.00 manual 298x210mm 124pp ISBN 1857503104

Overpackaging: Wasting Money, Wasting Resources, June 1993 L282 £16.00 report 298x210mm 25pp
ISBN 1857502078

Compost! A Guide for Local Authorities,1993 P222 £11.95 book 210x150mm 104pp ISBN 1857501454

Compost II: A Guide for Farmers August 1994 T311 £8.95 book 210x150mm 68pp ISBN 1857502272