The RJS Waste Management team is very excited about the theme for this year’s Global Recycling Day and they’re keen to name their #RecyclingHeroes… Read on to find out about the state of recycling in the UK and our suggestions to address the growing problem that threatens the planet.

What’s Global Recycling Day?

The Global Recycling Foundation supports the promotion of recycling, and the recycling industry, throughout the world to highlight how important it is to preserve the future of the planet.

“We need to see waste for what it really is – a wasted resource. There is no place on our planet anymore for products that are used only briefly and thrown away. We need to ensure planned obsolescence is a thing of the past. It’s time for countries in the world to dramatically step-up recycling rates if we are to save this planet.” – Erik Solheim, Former Head of UN Environment

With a mission to fund educational and awareness programmes, they introduced Global Recycling Day in 2018 and set out to:

1. Tell world leaders that recycling is simply too important not to be a global issue, and that a common, joined up approach to recycling is urgently needed.
2. Ask people across the planet to think resource, not waste, when it comes to the goods around us – until this happens, we simply won’t award recycled goods the true value and repurpose they deserve.

The theme for Global Recycling Day 2021 (18 March) is #RecyclingHeroes. There’s an opportunity to recognise the recycling efforts of everyone from world leaders and activists to rising youth stars and local businesses.

It’s down to all of us to protect the world’s natural resources. Whether you’re supporting the efforts of the next Greta Thunberg or organising a community litter pick and recycling party, you’re helping us get closer to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and are worthy of celebration.

What’s being recycled in the UK?

Recycling in the UK is certainly on the rise – but so is the population and throwaway culture. Here’s the reality of what we’re dealing with as a country:

• The average person throws away around 400kg of waste every year – seven times their body weight.
• Our households create more than 26m tonnes of waste each year – the equivalent weight of around 260 large cruise ships! (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
• Only 12m tonnes is recycled, the rest goes to landfill – an average recycling rate of 45%.
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is our fastest-growing waste stream.
• Around 25% of our WEEE waste could be reused (Waste and Resources Action Programme).
• Around 80 million fluorescent tubes are disposed of each year. Recycling fluorescent tubes could reuse up to four tonnes of mercury – a natural resource.
• Almost two million TV sets end up in landfill each year – they would be accepted at many recycling centres.
• For 2019/20, local authorities in England dealt with just under 1 million (976,000) fly-tipping incidents, an increase of 2% from the previous year.

“Each year the ‘Seventh Resource’ (recyclables) saves over 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions and this is projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030. There is no doubt recycling is on the front line in the war to save the future of our planet and humanity.” – Global Recycling Day.

Your recycling strategy

RJS Waste Management strictly follows waste disposal guidelines. These include The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011, which encourages sustainable waste management. The Waste Hierarchy also prioritises prevention with recycling as the third most preferred choice after preparing waste items for reuse.

The statistics above obviously reveal some worrying issues. Less than half of all waste in the UK is recycled (or better) and disposal is being chosen as a go-to option again and again. Is there better education needed on what waste can be recycled and where this waste should be recycled?

With WEEE as the fastest growing waste stream, around a quarter of it unnecessarily, RJS Waste Management can help by providing residential, commercial and industrial customers with a solid WEEE recycling strategy. This will include information on what items can be recycled and where they will be taken by our professional waste management team.

Fluorescent tubes and monitors are both items that we can recycle via our WEEE recycling service. Just let us know what WEEE waste you’d like collected and we’ll recycle it in line with government legislation and Environment Agency policy.

Likewise, the RJS Waste Management team can help remove any hazardous waste that’s been fly-tipped on your land. This will of course bring several benefits for the environment – both locally and globally.

Recycling Heroes

When it comes to celebrating recycling local efforts, our #RecyclingHeroes are our customers in Chichester, Oxford and London that already choose to make recycling an essential part of their waste management initiative. Whether they come to us for WEEE recycling services of secure data destruction followed by the recycling/reuse of their technical equipment, they are indeed doing their bit.

On a global front, young campaigners like Greta Thunberg and Dara McAnulty are sparks of hope for the future of our planet.

As for RJS Waste Management, we run a paperless office and recycle our own WEEE. We’re also planning to do a beach clean on the south coast when it’s safe to gather for events again. This will not only help clear the beach of damaging waste such as plastics but will help raise awareness of the important work charities like Marine Conservation Society are doing to protect our planet.

Contact RJS Waste Management to find out more about our WEEE recycling strategies and fly-tipped waste collection services.