Waste Management
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Green House Gases (particularly methane) are released through the processes required to dispose of our waste. In 2011 the government put legislation in place to encourage waste reduction. The legislation implemented the waste hierarchy Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Energy Recovery, Disposal. For information on how Cornwall Council manage waste you can read their waste strategy.
Reduce
The best way to reduce the emissions relating to waste is to reduce the amount of waste produced.
You can do this by only buying what you need, sourcing items second hand and repairing broken items. Putting a value on waste and contributing to a more circular economy (an economy where waste is valued and used to fuel the economy) reduces the need for new materials and the emissions associated with removing and processing them for use.
Reuse
One persons waste, is another's treasure....
Before throwing something away it may be worth seeing if anyone else wants it. Stithians has a great Facebook page dedicated to buying and selling items in the community (Stithians and surrounding area free / selling site), this is free to use and may result in you earning some money from your waste items.
Recycle
The more you recycle the more you reduce emissions by reducing the need to extract and process new materials from the ground and reducing the amount of waste that goes to the waste to energy plant at St Dennis.
Cornwall Council provide curbside collections and household waste recycling centres to encourage people to recycle where possible. For more information on the services they provide click here.
Waste to Energy
In Cornwall, most waste that cannot be recycled or reused goes to the waste to energy plant in St Dennis. Waste is burnt in a controlled way and the heat produced used to generate electricity. More information on this process is available by clicking here.