Recycling

I have had a think about recycling. Recycling basically means finding another use for an item instead of disposing of it. Recycling is so linked to waste disposal that I need to understand more about waste disposal before I can progress on my understanding of all the issues with recycling.

Meanwhile, here are a few links:

Jersey government sites:

"Wacky Waste Facts"

Full detail of waste disposal and recycling services

Energy from waste

May 2005 Solid Waste strategy

Energy from waste project FAQ

Waste Management

Waste Management Part 2

Waste Management Part 3

Waste Management Part 4

Waste Management Part 5

Waste Management Part 6

Waste Management Part 7

I thought 14.6 of the Waste Management (Island Plan 2002) covered most of my concerns, which are broadly that the whole thing needs to be looked at form an island perspective:

"The decision whether to recycle materials or not depends upon a number of factors, including the availability of raw materials, energy consumption in collection and processing and any environmental implications. It is counter-productive to recycle if doing so has a greater impact upon the environment than disposing of the waste. Furthermore, a recycling scheme that might be cost-effective in the UK might not be viable in Jersey if the material has to be shipped out for recycling, even if there is considerable capacity to export materials in the ships going to the UK. The local market for recycled goods is another important consideration – for certain materials the economics of recycling become marginal and other waste management options further down the ‘waste hierarchy’ may be more appropriate."

I shall read further.