From fashion to electricals - the projects across the south working to reduce waste

  • Video report by ITV Meridian's Sarah Saunders

Around 177 million tonnes of waste is generated every year in England alone, which is a poor use of resources, and it also costs businesses and households money. But most importantly, it causes environmental damage.

The Government is aiming to move towards a ‘zero waste economy’ - a society where resources are fully valued, financially and environmentally. It means reducing, reusing and recycling as much as possible, throwing things away only as a last resort.

The Government admits more work needs to be done but insists progress is being made

While the UK has come a long way since 2000 when only 12% of our waste was recycled, there is still a lot of work to do, as COP26 will highlight.  

But recycling rates can vary dramatically depending on where you live.  Government figures show in South Oxfordshire it's 64%, in Thanet it's 34% and in Brighton it's just 27 %.  

Paper is one of the most widely recycled materials

One product that is widely recycled is paper. Every year around 4 billion trees across the world are cut down to make the product - many will be from the rainforest, home to the species of animals and plants that live here.  

At Kemsley Paper Mill in Sittingbourne, Kent, the materials have been saved from landfill to be recycled.

The Kemsley Paper Mill in Sittingbourne, Kent

The Mill was originally built by Edward Lloyd in 1924 to produce newsprint. At that time, its four paper machines were the largest in the world. It now has annual production capacity of around 820,000 tonnes and is the second biggest recovered fibre-based paper operation in Europe.

  • Guy Lacey, Operations Director, DS Smith

Though products like paper are easy to recycle, there are many materials that are not, for example clothing. 100 billion items of clothing are bought each year, but around 3 out of 5 t-shirts purchased today, are thrown away within 12 months.

Teemill, based in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, has made its mission to help brands end waste. Every product is made from natural materials, using renewable energy, and designed to be returned so the material can be remanufactured.

  • Mart Drake-Knight, Co-founder, Teemill

Climate concerns over low recycling rates. Do you live in a green waste hotspot?

The recycling mistakes which see plastic and cardboard sent to landfill