Household recycling has been at the forefront of the media and government legislation for quote some time. It is obvious that we all need to step up and do our part to reduce waste, reuse, and recycle. Many of the new directives initiated seem to be targeted at increasing the recycling rate of individual households. This is necessary, but a great number of people have been asking why consumers are the ones who are being targeted when individuals are responsible for less than 10% of the waste generated in the UK.
A recent report published by the House of Lords has made many people question the numerous policies designed to all but attack consumers regarding waste disposal and recycling. The Lords committee revealed that consumers were continually being pressured into recycling and reducing waste via fines and other penalties. These tactics have brought about the question - Are consumers just easy targets?
The fact is that the households are responsible for less than 10% of the waste. So who is responsible for the rest? Supermarkets produce a large amount of organic waste and construction and similar companies are responsible for more than 32%. Why is the government picking on the little guy?
Part of the problem is that many are unaware that the householders are responsible for such a small amount. Some also suggest that it is easier to target individuals since they do not have the resources of major corporations. While companies in violation of the EU directive are often threatened with fines and other punitive actions, the government doesn’t seem to wield as much power as it would like to think.
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