Hidden Rucksack

The junk we throw away in our bins contributes directly to climate change. Every product or package has a burden on the planet beyond that of recycling the physical waste at the end of its life. We all think we are doing a good job if we recycle. We are. But most of us don’t realise the hidden impact of our waste. Every product we consume generates more waste throughout the processes of extraction, manufacture, distribution and use. This process not only generates physical waste but global warming gasses. This is often described as the hidden rucksack – the other material that is wasted throughout the products lifecycle. This is the stuff that is often forgotten.

319 Days

Think about the journey each product takes to get to our bin. How many days does it take to extract bauxite from the ground in Western Australia, process it and create a cola can? The answer is staggering – 319 days – almost a year! By comparison, it only takes 6 weeks to turn a can in a recycling bin into a new can on the retailer’s shelf.

Yet we still only recycle 50% of this energy-intensive material each year in the UK. Mining bauxite causes huge environmental damage. To make one tonne of aluminium takes 4 tonnes of bauxite ore. It is mined by open cast mining which may destroy the surface habitats which are often tropical rainforest e.g. in West Africa, the West Indies and Australia. It also leaves behind red brown mud.

20Kg

The energy it takes to make one new can is enough to make 20 recycled ones. Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours! Recycling 1kg of aluminium saves 8kg of bauxite, 4kg of chemicals and 14kWh of electricity. Recycling just two glass bottles saves enough energy to boil 5 cups of tea.

Despite this clear evidence on the benefits of recycling, every year the average UK dustbin contents contain enough energy for 500 baths, 3500 showers or 5000 hours of TV.

Recycling reduces pollution by air emissions during mining, manufacture and transport. It also reduces litter and need for burying in landfill.

The UK’s current recycling of materials such as paper/cardboard, glass, plastics, aluminium and steel saves between 10-15 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year compared to applying the current mix of landfill and incineration with energy recovery to the same materials. This is equivalent to about 10% of the annual CO2 emissions from the transport sector, and equates to taking 3.5 million cars off UK roads! So, the small effort we make to recycle does have a wider eco-benefit.

2020 Vision

To be more sustainable it is estimated by 2020 we should be recycling and composting something like 145 million tonnes of waste. This has an estimated market value of £1.8 billion a year! Recycling of this material can help save the planet with a greenhouse gas saving of at least 22.5 million tonnes annually from a whole range of materials including paper and card, plastics, metal and glass packaging.

Put in context, this is nearly half of London’s total carbon emissions (currently 44 million tonnes a year). This is expected to be 52 million tonnes by 2025. So recycling is a good thing but reducing the amount of waste in the first place is by far the better option.

The fact we don’t recycle most of household waste is worrying. It means we are putting extra demand on the world’s resources. But, can we ever really be sustainable when the World Resource Institute has estimated that within the next half century:

Production activity will increase by 400%.

The population will grow by more than half.

Energy consumption and manufacturing activity may rise by 200%.

We each have to do our bit. There are clear benefits of recycling – more than just reducing the amount sent to landfill. There is a link between the black sacks in our kitchens and climate change. For many of us this is too remote, but the actions we take in our kitchens do make a difference at a global level. The message for all of us is unequivocal. Recycling is good for the environment, saves energy, reduces raw material extraction and combats climate change.