Priorities
Key information
Waste
We are producing more waste than ever before – and then we waste it all over again.
This behaviour is not sustainable. It loses the energy and natural resources required to make the product, and additional energy and resources are used to process the waste.
Sustainable waste planning and management reduces our use of natural resources through actions such as re-use and recycling. It also enables us to recover value and energy from materials we use. It transforms the way we see materials such as sewage, which requires high levels of energy for treatment but has potential to provide a valuable energy source. Waste is a resource, not a by-product.
The benefits of sustainable waste planning and management include reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, creating jobs, reducing land required for landfill and supplying lower carbon options for energy production.
Local authorities can improve waste planning and management by building new waste facilities and using existing recycling networks.
Priorities for waste
- Plan for sustainable waste management
Minimising the amount of household waste sent to landfill. - Deal with construction waste
Only half of the 120 million tonnes of construction waste is recycled each year. - Turn waste into energy
Waste to energy processes reduce the waste requiring disposal in landfill.
Related priorities
- Integrate green infrastructure into urban areas
- Develop a low carbon and renewable energy portfolio
- Maximise the potential of public space
- Reduce car use and improve the carbon efficiency of vehicles
- Reduce energy demand
Experts
The waste theme was written by:
Philip Smith
Alban Forster
