Flattening the mountain

managing our waste 


Most waste in the UK ends up in large holes in the ground, known as landfill. As waste rots down in landfill sites it produces two dangerous substances: methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change; and leachate, which can leak from landfill sites into water courses and so cause pollution.

There is another problem – waste from cities is often transported many miles by large lorries burning lots of fuel and creating even more pollution.

As spaces for landfill sites run out, an increasing amount of our waste is incinerated. (burned). Burning waste can release pollutants into the atmosphere as well as carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. Burning waste actually only reduces its weight by two thirds; the third that is left is ash which then has to be disposed of…in a landfill site.
So, while there is no easy way to flatten our waste mountain, creating less waste in the first place and recycling far more would definitely help.