Brexit is still somewhat of a mystery to us. Nobody really knows what’s going on, and whether there are good times ahead, or some doom and gloom. What we do know is that there are going to be repercussions for the environment, and so this thought piece will look at what we can hope to gain, prepare to lose, or should start putting thought to.
Read more: Is Brexit a Catastrophe For The Environment? It Could Be.
The UK is in the midst of a waste crisis. It’s been in the news, it’s been in blogs, but worse than that, it’s been washing up on shores in Asia, it’s being uncovered in illegal landfills in Malaysia and Poland, it’s being burned in Africa, and it’s being put on ships and sent back from all around the world.
Read more: Is £1bn Needed to Take Responsibility for our Waste?
Green Alchemist has been here for you as a resource for several years, connecting you and your recyclable materials to paying outlets, essentially turning your trash into treasures. For those who now have treasure chests full of gold coins, you’re probably interested in other ways that you can monetise your waste. Well, that’s not what this article is about.
I was at a conference in London recently when another event attendee turned to me and asked, ‘Do you think London is doing enough to support the circular economy?’. It was such a loaded question, with so many variables, and it felt unfair to say either yes, or no, without really sitting down and doing my research. I responded ‘I’ll have to get back to you on that one’, and so I set about writing this piece.
Read more: Is London Doing Enough to Support the Circular Economy?
Here at Green Alchemist, we want to see you turn waste in profit, to embrace the idea that ‘trash’ can be treasure, and essentially maximise both rebates on materials, and minimise costs for waste services. To do that, you have to be willing to change some things… but what are those things exactly?
Read more: Create a Better Waste Management Strategy in 5 Steps
Before we get involved in the ‘how’, we thought it would be a good idea to start this guide with the ‘who’, showing you some of the UK’s best examples of zero waste to landfill companies. These businesses have made a strategy, a culture, and a series of decisions that have led them to this point; to say it’s impossible for your company to do the same is to accept defeat without even trying.
Whilst Gaza recycles bomb wreckages, we have a recycling rate of just 39% in the UK.
Humans are both the most creative and most destructive force on this planet, living often in disharmony with one another, and ourselves. We stretch our time, our energy, and our resources, putting ourselves under great scrutiny and pressure. But, as a wise person once said, ‘pressure makes diamonds.’
Read more: Gaza is Recycling Bomb Wreckages. What Does That Mean For Europe?
