Make landfill history

摘要

By 2011 all the broken kettles, potato peelings, smashed glass, holey socks, margarine pots, dirty tissues, light bulbs and pet litter thrown away by the 1.4 million people who live in Lancashire, UK, will be whisked away to two recycling plants near Preston.rnWhile most waste-treatment plants consider this mess too wet, sticky and smelly to recycle, these new plants plan to reclaim between 25 and 80 per cent of the paper, glass, plastics, steel, aluminium and lead that misses the recycling bin. They will also make use of the organic-rich "goo" from food, gardening, wood and paper, which makes up about 50 per cent of household rubbish. As a result, just 30 per cent - and ultimately, as little as 15 per cent-of all household waste will become landfill, compared to around 50 per cent (see right) under conventional recycling.