Waste Prevention
The pressure on global resources is a major challenge for Governments throughout the developed world.
If we can reduce the amount of waste generated in the first place and reduce its hazardousness by reducing the presence of dangerous substances in products, then disposing of it will automatically become simpler.
As a society, we create more and more rubbish. Each year in Northern Ireland we create the equivalent of 1.22 tonnes of household waste per household per year, or approximately 24 kg per week. It is clear that treating and disposing of all this material - without harming the environment - becomes a major problem.
The majority of waste goes to landfill, where materials with the potential for reuse, recycling or recovery are lost. As the waste which is buried in landfill breaks down it begins to release methane gas. Methane is a harmful greenhouse gas. A liquid called leachate is also produced. This leachate has the potential to pollute our ground water.
The basic principles of waste management are to:
- reduce environmental and health impacts; and
- to save resources.
Waste prevention is at the top of the waste hierarchy and our number one priority for waste management. It includes all measures taken before a substance, material or product has become waste, that reduce:
- the quantity of waste, including through the re-use of products or the extension of the life span of products;
- the adverse impacts of the generated waste on the environment and human health; or
- the content of harmful substances in materials and products.
