Recycling facts and figures

During 2010/2011, we collected:

10,061.02 tonnes of kerb side recycling - an increase of 3% since 2009/2010
18,581 tonnes of household rubbish - a figure which has fallen by 2.1% since 2009/2010
2,242.96 tonnes of garden waste (composted). When compared to the 1,365 tonnes collected in 2009/2010, we have increased our composting rates by a massive 64.3%

Spelthorne's overall recycling rate has increased to 36.55% in 2010/2011 compared to last years amount of 33.46% for 2009/2010.

In the last financial year, Spelthorne residents recycled:

6,404.23 tonnes of paper and card
Fact - 1 tonne of recycled papers uses:

64% less energy 50% less water
74% less air pollution
saves 17 trees
creates 5x more jobs than 1 tonne of paper products from virgin wood pulp

2,198.47 tonnes of glass
Fact - Glass is 100% recyclable! On average every UK family consumes around 500 glass bottles and jars each year.

477.93 tonnes of mixed cans
Fact - Making cans from recycled aluminium cuts related air pollution by 95%, (for example, sulphur dioxides, which create acid rain).

477.93 tonnes of plastic
Fact - We use approximately 20 times more plastic than we did 50 years ago!
Your recycled plastic can be made into products ranging from garden sheds and window frames, to fleece tops and duvet fibre filling.

59.37 tonnes of textiles and shoes
Fact - Textile recycling provides raw materials for upholstery, for filling mattresses, for wadding and other absorbent products, and for the manufacture of felt, as well as fibre from which new cloth can be made.

14.93 tonnes of books
Fact - Books can't usually be recycled along with other paper recycling because of the glue that's used to bind them.

2,242.96 tonnes of garden waste
Fact - An average person throws away 74 kilos of organic waste, that's the equivalent of 1,077 banana skins.

General facts

every 90 minutes in the UK we produce enough rubbish to fill your local Staines swimming pool
at least 50% of the contents of your dustbin could potentially be recycled

UK Litter

According to figures highlighted by Keep Britain Tidy the cost of clearing up litter in the UK is in the region of £858 million!

If you would like to take action against litter in your area please visit the litter action website for help and advice.

3Rs in Surrey

The Surrey Local Government Association recently published a report to mark the start of its campaign to tackle waste in the county. The report - Waste not want not: attitudes to waste in Surrey - is the biggest independent research project ever commissioned into surrey residents' attitudes to reusing and reducing waste.

The research found that nearly six in ten (59%) Spelthorne residents readily admit that they could do more to reduce their waste.

However, with nearly nine in ten (86%) willing to decrease the amount of waste that they produce, 86% prepared to increase the amount they reuse and almost nine in ten happy to increase the amount of recycling they undertake, the report clearly indicates that Spelthorne residents are looking to make a difference.