Why Should We Worry about Waste?

There are three main reasons:

• Most waste is disposed of by burying it in a hole in the ground called a landfill site.  As the waste decomposes by the action of bacteria it can produce gas called methane and liquid called leachate which can cause pollution and can be dangerous to humans and wildlife.
• Each household in NI produces around 1.4 tonnes of waste each year – that’s nearly half the weight of an elephant!  We are fast running out of places to put it.
• Using things just once and throwing them away consumes raw materials that may be in short supply and wastes energy.  Recycling an aluminium can uses 95% less energy than making a new one from raw materials.