It's only in
recent years that most of us have started to think about what happens
to our rubbish once we have thrown it in the bin. One of Wales's
biggest environmental problems is dealing with the rising mountain of
waste. We are running out of space to put it!
Aside from that, the
stuff we dump can cause contamination of our groundwater, increased
greenhouse gas emissions and problems with litter, flies and other
pests. At the same time we are constantly having to use up natural
resources and energy at a faster rate than ever to produce more goods
and packaging to replace those that we have thrown away!
The
landfill site in Swansea closed in 2005 and the City & County of
Swansea is currently having to export our waste to Merthyr Tydfill at
enormous cost to the Council and ultimately to us as the tax payers.
The City and County of Swansea is looking at other methods of dealing
with our waste whilst continuing to encourage waste minimisation,
because all methods of waste disposal have environmental costs.
On the Trail....
There are several places in Swansea helping to divert material from being landfilled and also helping us to reduce our waste.
Res-a-Rec
reduces the amount of waste going to landfill by taking good quality
furniture and household items from people that are throwing them out.
The furniture is then made available to people who want and need it.
The
scheme is run by Cyrenians Cymru, which is a homelessness charity
helping people regain a foothold in society. Some furniture is restored
and repaired in their workshop where volunteers help and learn new
skills.
The Play Resource Centre helps
to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by taking approximately
7,000 rubbish bags worth of unwanted items from local business and
industry for people to re-use for art, crafts and play. There is a
scrap store which the general public can browse in plus other arts and
crafts materials. There is a meeting room which can be used for group
visits and short talks on the work of the organisation can be arranged.
Oxfam
helps to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by taking
unwanted clothes, books and other household items to sell in their
shops. In Swansea there are 2 shops. One on Castle Street which takes
predominantly books and another on Union Street which takes clothes and
has a focus on selling Fairtrade products.
Shopping at local markets such as Mumbles, Penclawdd and Swansea
can save waste! Local markets often sell fruit and veg in paper bags as
opposed to plastic. When you buy meat or cheese it is often wrapped in
a thin layer of film or paper as opposed to a large plastic tray that
you often get at the supermarket.
The Green Shop at The Environment Centre,
Pier Street, Swansea has some products such as washing up liquid and
multi surface cleaner in bulk, allowing you to re-fill your bottles.
Cheaper and greener! The Green Shop also stocks goods made from
recycled products such as glass jewellery, juice carton bags, glasses
and loads more. Many of the buildings features have used recovered or
recycled products. For example, the tables are made from washing
machine drums and the reception counter has a decorative recycled glass
front. The composting area and wormery shows how you can compost you
kitchen and garden waste to make a lovely rich compost for your garden,
or perhaps for your neighbour if you don't need it.
Swansea Community Farm
also has a composting area and is running an education scheme to
promote the benefits of composting. Organic waste makes up 30% of the
average household's waste.
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