What Choices Do Our Governments Have?

It is often said that pollution does not respect national boundaries. Also, countries that cut environmental corners give their home industries an unfair advantage over those in neighbouring countries. For both these reasons, most waste management legislation is now agreed at the EU level where all member states have the opportunity to promote the measures and choices that they find appropriate. Some of the more important European and National measures are:

• Landfill - The amount of degradable domestic waste that can be landfilled is being restricted and by 2020 the UK will have to have built several hundred more waste processing facilities to recycle, compost and burn waste.
• Recycling - By 2005, there are targets to recover materials, compost and energy from 45% of domestic waste.
• Packaging - the packaging industry (packaging manufacturers, producers of goods and retailers) already have to recycle 52% of packaging wastes and this proportion is set to increase each year.
• Vehicles and Electronic and Electrical Items - Requirements for industry to vastly increase the recycling of motor vehicles and electronic and electrical goods are being introduced.

So who is responsible for the amount of wastes we produce and how we deal with it? It is easy to blame the supermarkets, the packaging industry, the Government or Europe. But we - the purchasers of the goods and electors of the politicians do have choices and can make a difference.

• We can choose more or less wasteful buying behaviour;
• We can choose to make our own compost, to reuse and recycle wastes;
• We can choose whether to quiz or councillors, MPs and Ministers about waste or whether to leave it up to them;
• We can choose to listen to the voices of industry and pressure groups or choose to think and form our own views.

Some useful contacts:

DEFRA - the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Environment Agency - the leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales

Scottish Environment Protection Agency - SEPA is the public body which is responsible for the protection of the environment in Scotland

The Northern Ireland Environment and Heritage Service - an agency which aims to protect and conserve Nothern Ireland's natural heritage and built environment

Waste Watch - the leading national organisation promoting and encouraging action on the 3Rs - waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

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