Why Britain must do more internal recycling
China, Britain's biggest export market for scrap and other recyclable materials, has announced a blanket ban on plastic waste, a tightening of standards for industrial scrap, and intends to impose stricter standards on recyclable material in general after finding that much of the scrap sent to China's plants was "contaminated with dirty wastes or even hazardous wastes": https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/chinas-plastic-waste-ban/
Britain has sent 2,700,000 tonnes of scrap plastic to China and Hong Kong in the past five years-that is on average 540,000 tonnes per year. This reliance on exporting plastic abroad has meant a lack of British capacity to tackle processing of plastic waste, scrap metal and glass and has meant little has been done to tackle the problem of excessive plastic production, especially when our water is being damaged by microplastics and macroplastics (plastics visible to the naked eye, as opposed to microplastics which are not).
"We've relied on China for so long for exporting our plastic waste; almost half of our paper and cardboard ends up in China because of a lack of money invested in recycling waste in the UK" (Simon Ellin, Recycling Association Chief Executive)
Cleanliness in recycled material is important to avoid contamination of everyday products made from recycled materials, and we will be much more reliant on recycling for a sustainable lifestyle. We have already manufactured so much; we must recycle, reuse and repair much more often at present.
What must Britain do to tackle this impending crisis?
1. Build more recycling and decontamination plants of its own. Britain needs to sort out its own recycling-especially with the consumption, importing and exporting Britain does. These recycling plants will reduce dependence on landfill space (which Britain is running out of), create thousands of essential environmentally friendly jobs especially in poorer areas, help councils meet recycling targets, provide for decontamination of waste, and help clean up the oceans and rivers by keeping plastic waste from flowing into them.
2. Stop producing so much plastic and encourage greater re-usage. Recycling is very important, but the over-production of raw material is another crucial environmental concern we must address, especially of plastic. Single-use plastics and plastic packaging are big offenders in this regard but even reusable plastics become a problem overtime, as they can and do break and wear out with use. Many plastics are also contaminated with harmful chemicals and endocrine disruptors; some of these are now banned but others are still legal. Plastic does not biodegrade either even if it can be recycled, so when manufacturing of new items is required, they should be made from biodegradable materials whenever practical.
3. Make items easier to repair. So many goods are disposed of because repairs even of newer items cost more than the item is worth or because essential components are phased out too quickly due to accessories being updated too quickly. Electronic waste is heavily exported as well and it is a serious problem because many of the precious metals in electronics are becoming rarer, harder to extract and costlier to extract. Since we import so many electronic goods from abroad, we should also concentrate on boosting an economic repair and service industry for them so that people do not have to keep replacing them every two years.
Britain has sent 2,700,000 tonnes of scrap plastic to China and Hong Kong in the past five years-that is on average 540,000 tonnes per year. This reliance on exporting plastic abroad has meant a lack of British capacity to tackle processing of plastic waste, scrap metal and glass and has meant little has been done to tackle the problem of excessive plastic production, especially when our water is being damaged by microplastics and macroplastics (plastics visible to the naked eye, as opposed to microplastics which are not).
"We've relied on China for so long for exporting our plastic waste; almost half of our paper and cardboard ends up in China because of a lack of money invested in recycling waste in the UK" (Simon Ellin, Recycling Association Chief Executive)
Cleanliness in recycled material is important to avoid contamination of everyday products made from recycled materials, and we will be much more reliant on recycling for a sustainable lifestyle. We have already manufactured so much; we must recycle, reuse and repair much more often at present.
What must Britain do to tackle this impending crisis?
1. Build more recycling and decontamination plants of its own. Britain needs to sort out its own recycling-especially with the consumption, importing and exporting Britain does. These recycling plants will reduce dependence on landfill space (which Britain is running out of), create thousands of essential environmentally friendly jobs especially in poorer areas, help councils meet recycling targets, provide for decontamination of waste, and help clean up the oceans and rivers by keeping plastic waste from flowing into them.
2. Stop producing so much plastic and encourage greater re-usage. Recycling is very important, but the over-production of raw material is another crucial environmental concern we must address, especially of plastic. Single-use plastics and plastic packaging are big offenders in this regard but even reusable plastics become a problem overtime, as they can and do break and wear out with use. Many plastics are also contaminated with harmful chemicals and endocrine disruptors; some of these are now banned but others are still legal. Plastic does not biodegrade either even if it can be recycled, so when manufacturing of new items is required, they should be made from biodegradable materials whenever practical.
3. Make items easier to repair. So many goods are disposed of because repairs even of newer items cost more than the item is worth or because essential components are phased out too quickly due to accessories being updated too quickly. Electronic waste is heavily exported as well and it is a serious problem because many of the precious metals in electronics are becoming rarer, harder to extract and costlier to extract. Since we import so many electronic goods from abroad, we should also concentrate on boosting an economic repair and service industry for them so that people do not have to keep replacing them every two years.
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