Time to recycle but more important stop creating the waste in the first place

There has been a growing awareness of the need to clear litter and clean up Wanstead.

The councillors have been leading monthly litter picks (on the third Saturday of each month), which have grown in popularity with local residents.

The question, though, that regularly occurs, when picking up the rubbish, is why do so many people drop the stuff in the first place? Do they have no pride or respect for their fellow human beings? What other creature on the earth behaves in such a way?

What the recent programmes, like David Attenborough’s Blue Planet series, illustrate is how human being are choking the planet. The dumping of rubbish, particularly plastics, show the urgent need to get to grips with this crisis. First, human beings need to stop producing this waste, second, serious clearance need to begin of the rubbish already out there clogging up the world.

Redbridge Council’s new Waste and Recycling strategy is set in this preventative culture, seeking to encourage people not to create the waste in the first place. When they do, the emphasis is on recycling and re-use of materials – not just chucking them in the bin or worse.

Some 70,172 of residual (black bag) waste was produced for the year 2017/18. Just 24% of waste was recycled, putting Redbridge amongst the 10 worst performing boroughs in the country. Under the Mayor of London’s guidelines the level of recycling will have to come up to 65% by 2030, so there is a big challenge for Redbridge council and residents.

Food waste has been found to make up 50% of the contents of the residual waste. People need to stop producing this waste. Research by Recycle for London shows food waste costs a family of four £70 a month. Why not just buy (or better still grow) what you eat?

Some 58,800 disposable nappies are sent to landfill in Redbridge each day, why not use washable nappies?

Some 300,000 tonnes of used clothes go into landfill in the UK each year, why not recycle clothes – or buy less?

The new strategy will include the introduction of wheelie bins and taking the waste collection service in-house. However, much of the emphasis of the strategy is on producing less waste.

Single use of items is to be discouraged. The council can use its licencing powers to ensure events do not use single use items but re-usable ones. This practice will also be adopted in council offices and buildings.

This policy can open the way for areas like Wanstead, under its new Environmental Charter, to look for a ban on single plastic use on the high street. Such a move will ofcourse mean working with local businesses to find a way of achieving such a goal. Possibly an environmental audit?

There are many innovative ideas that can be used to cut waste production. It is vital because humankind is destroying the world on which we all live. Cleaning up is important but addressing why we create the mess in the first place is equally so.

published - Wanstead & Woodford Guardian - 21/3/2019 - paper
                                                                             - 23/3/2019 - online