In the UK, the average household produces over 1 tonne of waste every year and this rises by around by much more over the festive period. In fact, the amount of waste generated increases around 30% over Christmas.
This is widely attributed to the excess of things like cards, envelopes, wrapping paper and boxes or packing. People spend much more than average on shopping and groceries over Christmas, which produces around 5 bags of waste more than normal per household, translating into 736,571 tonnes per year.
Whilst the UK is extremely wasteful, a company called eC02 Greetings have produced a list of the world’s most wasteful countries. Globally, recycling rates are increasing, however, so too are birth rates and the population.
The top producers of waste are said to be small island nations, including; Kuwait, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, and Sri Lanka. Whilst it might not be surprising that the largest producers of waste are from undeveloped countries, the top waste generators of the developed world are; New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and United States.
Urban waste is the leading contributor to a country’s waste, and this pattern is common amongst all countries. The amount of waste generated by urban residents has doubled over the last 10 years to 1.2kg per capita per day which equates to 1.3 billion tonnes per year.
Acumen Waste is a Waste Management company based in West Yorkshire but operates nationwide. Acumen provide a range of commercial waste management services including Industrial Site Servicing, and Hazardous Waste Disposal. For more information, call Acumen today on 0800 118 2165.
