- WRAP estimates that around 600 million tonnes of products and materials enter the UK economy each year… only 115 million tonnes of this gets recycled.
- Between now and 2020, WRAP estimates that electronic waste in the UK will total more than 12 million tonnes. A quarter of this will comprise of IT equipment, consumer electronics and display screens. This 12 million tonnes will include precious metals, which at the time of writing, have a total estimated market value of £7bn.
- Nearly 25% of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that’s taken to household waste recycling centres could be re-used, worth around £200m gross a year.
- We throw away more than 7 million tonnes of food and drink every year from our homes - most of which could have been safely consumed.
- UK hospitality sector (hotels, pubs, restaurants and quick service restaurants) could save £724 million a year by tackling food waste.
- By pursuing opportunties for re-use, the UK could reduce its reliance on raw materials, including rare earths, by as much as 20% by 2020.
- Our research shows doubling the number of sofas re-used, could save 52,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. At the moment, 83% of sofas are not re-used and are sent to landfill or recycled.
And this is only the tip of the waste iceberg.
Related pages
