Sustainability issues in urban areas: WASTE

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  • Created by: 08rmorris
  • Created on: 27-03-15 10:20
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  • Sustainability issues in urban areas
    • London needs 125 times its own surface area to supply the resources it consumes.
      • 90% of all products bought are waste within 6 months of purchase
      • In 2010, managing London's rubbish cost £600m
      • London's early development depended on the ability of the surrounding area to provide all of its needs.
        • It requires a constant supply of material and energy to feed, house and service its needs
    • The burden of waste
      • Waste increases with prosperity
        • Every year each London household produces over a tonne of waste; the city produces 3.4 million tonnes a year.
        • burying waste was cheap but difficult in densely built up areas
        • Only 1/3 of London's waste is dealt with within the city
          • Most of this is incinerated
        • London's waste had been taken to the surrounding Home counties by barge, road and rail
        • Councils encourage recycling
          • In 2001-2 9.3% of London's waste was recycled, rising to 13.2% in 2003-4
            • Compared to a UK average of 17.7%
            • In 2010, London Borough Councils recycled an average of just 25% of waste, the lowest in England
          • Part of the problem is London's housing stock, half of which is flats.
            • These account for just 10% of recycled waste
              • Recycling facilities are often not provided
          • The UK government hopes to increase recycling of household waste to 33% by 2015
    • To achieve improvementsLondon boroughs need to:
      • Provide easy-to-access waste collection, recycling and composting services, especially for people living in flats
      • Trial recycling rewards schemes, such as the 'Recycle Bank' initiative which rewards households with shopping vouchers based on volumes recycled
      • Introduce new waste-to-energy systems: anaerobic digestion
      • Create links with London businesses and manufacturers to reduce packaging
    • A number of  strategy exist by which councils can increase recoiling in their areas:
      • Doorstep collection
      • Charging for waste beyond a certain level, e.g. number of bags or bins
      • Charging households who do not recycle
      • Offering collection points for all waste including free exchange schemes for unwanted but functioning electrical goods

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