Household waste recycling / Richard Waite

Includes bibliographical references.

The organization of waste management; waste management options; what can be recycled?; current recycling policies in Britain, Europe and North America; the recycling process; collection; separation; reprocessing; the markets for recycled materials; the costs of recycling; the recycling of packaging; future developments.

Households in the UK each generate around one tonne of waste per year, and the successful management and disposal of this waste is becoming an increasingly important issue. In many cases, recycling is the most sensible option, and the UK government has set a target to recycle a quarter of all household waste by the year 2000. This book gives an overview of the waste management and disposal options currently available, and provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of how recycling could develop. The author – one of the UK's leading experts – looks at how much of the waste is potentially recyclable, shows the various ways in which recyclable materials can be separated and reprocessed, and assesses the existing markets for recyclable materials. He gives an in-depth account of the important subject of packaging recycling, and compares the UK's progress and performance with what is happening elsewhere in Europe. He also discusses how the performance of current recycling schemes can be measured and costed, and forecasts future developments in the industry.