The UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year. This rate of rubbish generation would fill the Albert Hall in London in less than 2 hours. Both household waste and construction waste contribute significantly to the annual waste production in the UK. Every year UK households throw away the equivalent of 3 ½ million double-decker buses (almost 30 million tonnes), a queue of which would stretch from London to Sydney(Australia) and back. On average, each person in the UK, throws away seven times their body weight (about 500kg) in rubbish every year.
Waste causes environmental harm through a wide range of ways. When it is sent to land fill it uses up valuable space that could be dedicated other uses. It may cause contamination of ground water or rivers and lakes. Waste is also points to the inefficient use of resources that could be scarce and finally waste can contribute to global warming, either through the energy use in handling and transporting it, but also by through the production of greenhouse gases, such as methane, when it is decomposing.
The Code for Sustainable Homes therefore encourages people to reduce, re-use and recycle waste as much as possible. The waste category includes 3 items:
- WAS1 – Storage of Non-recyclable Waste and Recyclable Household Waste
- WAS2 – Construction Site Waste Management
- WAS3 – Composting
