The recycling centre
What happens to our rubbish?
Because people in Britain do not recycle as much as they should, 90% of our solid waste ends up in landfill sites, usually in existing holes such as disused quarries.
Quarryville Ltd manages several landfill sites at old quarries. If rubbish does have to be dumped in the ground, it is better to bury it in existing holes in areas where no people live, rather than in the middle of cities and towns.
We are very careful to make sure that no dangerous materials are dumped in the landfills we operate. We work carefully with government departments to prevent damage to the environment from landfill gases.
Landfills do an important job, but it is always better to recycle.
What happens to materials when they are recycled?
- Recycled glass can be used to make fibre-glass insulation to keep your house cool, the tiles in your bathroom, or even more jars.
- Recycled magazines and newspapers can be used to make even more paper products. That means less trees have to be chopped down to make new paper.
- Recycled steel or tin cans can be used to make cars, lorries, and other steel products.
- Four out of every five drinks cans are made from aluminium. Recycled aluminum cans can be used to make aeroplanes. In America, enough aluminium is thrown away every three months to completely rebuild every plane in the country!
- Recycled cardboard boxes can be used to make more cardboard boxes.
- Recycled plastic bottles can be used to make carpets and t-shirts.
- Around 30% of the vegetable and food matter in your dustbin (uncooked vegetable trimmings and peelings, crushed eggshells, tea bags, etc.) could be recycled on a compost heap alongside dead leaves, grass clippings, shredded paper, cotton and wool fabrics. All this recycled waste matter is transformed by bacteria and micro-organisms into rich, earthy soil conditioner which is great for the plants in your garden or backyard.
