As 2012 draws to a close, we here at Unisan, thought we’d run through a few facts on waste; some that will shock you, some that will surprise you and some that will make you want to do more to improve your rate of recycling! Whether a home or business owner, it can’t be argued that we could all do that little bit more to reduce the rubbish we simply throw away without thought and instead separate to recycle or even re-use!
Read on for just a few of the many intriguing and thought provoking facts surrounding waste and recycling;
General Rubbish
• Each person in the UK throws away, on average, seven times their own body weight in waste each year, whether at home or at work.
• Households in the UK throw away approximately 30 million tonnes of waste, which is about the same weight as 3 and a half million double decker buses.
• Waste from businesses equates to almost a quarter of all waste produced in the UK.
Plastics
• Despite some supermarkets now charging extra, it is estimated that they still give out around 17 billion plastic bags to customers each year.
• 20 times more plastic is produced and used today than it was 20 years ago.
Glass
• If you were to recycle two glass bottles, either at home or when at work, you could potentially save enough energy to boil enough water for five cups of tea or coffee!
• Nobody quite knows how long glass that is disposed of in landfill sites takes to break down, however it is such a long time that glass from the Middle East, made 3000 years ago, can still be found today.
Bearing in mind these facts, we hope it has made you want to do a lot more to reduce the amount of waste you produce, and fortunately if you do, we are on hand with a varied selection of recycling bins and solutions to make effective recycling easy for you. Hopefully we can provide you with a selection of facts on waste that offer a more positive outlook this time next year!