A UK-wide campaign to encourage people to recycle more of their household waste has been backed by Liberal Democrats in Gateshead.
National Recycling Week is being held on 2nd – 8th June. This is the fifth year it has been held. It is run by Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a national organisation set up to help people produce less waste and advise on how best to deal with rubbish in an environmentally friendly way.
Councillor Peter Maughan said, “In Gateshead each person is on average producing 406kg of waste a year that is not recycled or composted. Three quarters of this ends up in landfill.
“Unfortunately, figures released last week show Gateshead Council is bottom of the league for recycling and composting in the North East. Though recycling has been increasing in the borough, Gateshead Council still has a long way to go.
“Liberal Democrats in Gateshead are delighted to be able to back National Recycling Week. We are encouraging as many residents as possible to make small changes in their lifestyles which will make large strides to ensuring we do not wreck our environment.
“We waste a huge amount of food each year – on average we throw away 112kg of food each, most of which is still usable. People can avoid this waste by doing simple things such as producing a shopping list of what food is needed, rather than wandering around the supermarket buying what takes your fancy!
“Last year in the UK, it was estimated that we spent £8 billion on food that was still fit to be used when it was thrown away. Being green can save money!
“There is a limit to how much rubbish we can throw into holes in the ground. There comes a point when we have to say that we cannot go on getting rid of waste in this way.
“I am therefore delighted that National Recycling Week is underway. I hope it will be a great success and will help residents of Gateshead to cut waste and live greener lifestyles.”
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