Food and drinks cans make up around three percent of household waste that is thrown away by households in the UK on a daily basis. Around 75 percent of all drinks cans in the UK are made from aluminium although there are still almost 2 billion drinks cans that are made from steel. Food cans are often called tins because although they are made from steel, they have an ultra thin layer of tin that surrounds them.

If we consider that an average household goes through around 600 steel cans and 200 aluminium cans a year then it isnt hard to imagine the staggering amount of waste that is being generated by each and every one of us annually. We cannot go on burying this waste in landfill sites as the pressure on landfill sites is now nearing capacity and the estimations are that we will run out of space for new landfill sites within the next decade.

At the moment, approximately 80 percent of our household waste goes to landfill sites and as the amount of waste we produce is increasing each year we have to find new and creative ways of disposing of our waste. Landfill is no longer a viable option, not only because there isnt any space, but because landfill sites are not pleasant. There are risks associated with landfill that include the risk of explosion and also a risk of leakage of toxic pollutants into the surrounding earth and waterways which can present a health risk.

Basically, landfill sites are a threat to the environment so disposing of our waste in an environmentally friendly way that saves resources, energy and costs should be a matter of concern for all of us. Fortunately, more and more people are waking up to the idea of recycling. Local authorities also recognise the advantages of recycling and so roadside collections and the number of collection banks where you can deposit waste is on the increase.

Why recycle cans

Cans are one of the easiest items to recycle and the fact is, each and every can that ends up in landfill is a waste of a valuable resource and heres why. Producing new metal to make new cans depletes the earth of natural resources, such as iron, coal and water to make steel and bauxite to make aluminium and basically it costs more to produce new metal than it does to recycle it.

For example, recycling aluminium not only uses 95 percent less energy than it does to produce new aluminium if we recycle just 1kg of aluminium it saves 6kg of Bauxite. Similarly, if we recycle 1 tonne of steel it saves 1.5 tonnes of iron ore, half a tonne of coal, and uses 75 percent less energy than it does to make new steel. Recycling any type of metal reduces the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere, reduces water pollution and massively reduces costs in general.

Cans are also 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled almost indefinitely without any loss of quality to the metal itself. Recycling metal is also a relatively simple process, in fact; it can take as little as six weeks for aluminium cans to be back on the supermarket shelves after collection.

One of the barriers to recycling other materials is the demand for the product. Take plastic for example; it can be cheaper to produce new plastic than to recycle it so there is less of a demand for used plastic. However, there is a great demand for used metal, so much so that there are schemes in operation that will pay you cash for your used aluminium cans.

Another barrier is sorting the waste. Sorting broken bits of glass can be a complex process but sorting aluminium from steel is not difficult. You can tell the difference between aluminium and steel using a simple magnet. If it sticks it is steel, which makes separation of steel very easy as magnets can be used to extract it.

So bearing in mind all the advantages involved in recycling cans, why are any food or drinks cans still ending up in landfill?

How you can make a difference

The truth is that we can all do more to protect the environment if we remember that each can dumped in landfill is a real waste. You can make a difference at home and at work by making sure that your cans are recycled and are not disposed of along with other rubbish. If kerbside collection is not available in your area yet, find out where the nearest collection bank or collection scheme is and deposit your cans there. If we all do our bit we can all benefit from a healthier environment and can preserve the earths resources for future generations.

Green ecological products are becoming more popular, we now recognize those companies that realize the importance of green ecological products. Our efforts to preserve earth to have clean water, clear skies and contaminate free soil, trying to reverse our current path of filling the air and water and soil with toxins and contaminants, perhaps we can return to a pristine earth by choosing green ecological products, we will be taking steps in the right direction. If you have noticed the various forms of pollution and the damage they cause to the world around us harming the ecosystems, animals and humans, it’s plain to see the importance of choosing green ecological products.

There are various different categories for Green ecological products to go under.

organic certified, in general it means produced without pesticides or harmful fertilizes, a good choice for a green ecological product. Britannica defines it as the following “there’s some variation: the National Organic Standards Board considers organic agriculture to be “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”

Green A green product, is environmentally and socially responsible, respectful of the world and the natural environment, it is a term used more so in the electronic industry, but also applies to many other industries as they aim to use less harmful components, bio-plastics less packaging, trying to eliminate harmful chemicals like fire retardants, all things green ecological.

Environmentally friendly has two dictionary definition they are #1 ‘Not damaging to the environment, or directed at preventing environmental damage.’ #2 ‘Minimizing harm to natural world: designed to minimize harm to the natural world, e.g. by using biodegradable ingredients. So being friendly to the environment is definitely doable, and these green ecological products can become more commonplace’

Fair trade, It is a socially conscious program that prevents the workers from being exploited, and ensuring they get a fair wage, a popular fair trade program has been associated with coffee such as kicking horse and Jane Goodall’s brand.

Recycled, things are new products made from old, be it of plastic cardboard metal paper or glass, these materials are given a new lease of life, or by simply donating used items to thrift stores.

Sustainable Forestry, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) put their mark on products that respect the forest ecosystems, wildlife habitats, local communities and water quality, to meet their standards, the wood and resulting products are tracked from beginning to end for complying to the correct standards.

Green ecological products come in all forms, but invariably are of some benefit to our world, it is also possible to choose products that can be recycled like paper, or provide recycling such as composters, an invaluable service highly recommend, worms or standard composters and the composting toilet, helping to keep sewage out of the ocean. Reducing waste input to landfills and methane gas production is an important consideration for individuals and industries although some resourceful companies have been able to harness the methane output and to use it for manufacturing thus producing green ecological products.