Raising awareness about the importance of reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill is paramount. We generate around 177 million tonnes of waste every year in England alone; this is due to poor use of resources and costs businesses and household's money. This also causes environmental damage such as waste sent to landfill produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Around 51% of our waste is still being sent to landfills and wasted food in landfills mounts up to 20 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emissions. Waste Week 2015 Waste Week is an opportunity for young people across the country to help raise awareness. There is over 1,900 schools and community groups taking part in this year's Waste Week which is organised by EDF Energy's education programme, The Pod. Waste Week is targeted at 4 to 14 year olds and can take place in any week during March. This year's campaign is looking at two common types of waste: food and plastics. According to the charity WRAP:
- We throw away more than 7 million tonnes of food and drink every year from our homes
- Primary schools and secondary schools are some of the biggest culprits for food waste, with nearly 50% is generated from primary and a third is produced at secondary schools.
There are a wide range of activities student can do throughout March to help everyone reduce food and plastic waste, including investigating their own food waste habits, identifying opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle. This campaign has been designed to not only encourage students to change the way they think about rubbish but also find an interest in science and engineering. This is a great opportunity for the younger generation to get involved and make an impact on the way we can recycle for the future. If you are taking part in Waste Week, post a picture of what you've been doing to help raise awareness on our Facebook page. 