ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 201

There is a gap between England’s future energy needs, and the existing supply. The government
intends to improve the security of the UK’s energy supply by boosting imports from a more various collection of fuel supplies, by generating more of the needs of the UK using renewable energy sources such as wind power or solar, and by relying on nuclear energy for a more dependable
type on energy production.
Waste
Since this study is about a highly developed nation, the problems of waste and consumption are
serious. The more people progress towards a more developed and industrial country, the more
they consume, and the more waste they produce. On average, each person in the UK throws
away seven times their body weight in rubbish every year (Stuart 2014). About 177 million tonnes
of waste every year is generated in England alone. This is a poor use of resources and costs businesses and household’s money. Waste sent to landfill produces methane, a powerful greenhouse
gas, hence there are also environmental consequences of such waste. Waste generation by sector
is shown in Figure 7. ‘The irrigation water used globally to grow food that is wasted would be
enough for the domestic needs (at 200 litres per person per day) of 9 billion people – the number expected on the planet by 2050’ (Staurt, 2014) thus even the UK’s water footprint is rising.
Although much has been done about waste in the past decades, the UK is still behind several
European countries in managing this issue, and reducing landfills and the amount of waste.
Recycling/reuse together with composting have become the dominant methods of waste management in the UK, accounting for 42.2% of the total MSW (Municipal Solid Waste). In 2012 a total
of 13.1 million tonnes of MSW was recycled or composted in the UK, representing an increase of
27.3% since 2002. The generation of MSW is predicted to continue to decrease over the next 20
years from 32.3 million tonnes in 2010 to 29.5 million tonnes in 2030. This forecast is based on the
Bogner and Matthews model, which shows a linear relationship between the energy consumption of a nation and its generation of MSW, as well as on an energy consumption forecast published by the UK government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) (Bourtsalas
and Themelis 2013).
Recycling
The UK in general is doing a relatively good job when it comes to recycling, with an increased
share of municipal waste recycling from 12 to 39% between 2001 and 2010 (DEFRA 2010) but other European Union (EU) member countries have already reached 50% which is the target set by
EU for all countries by 2020, this way, the UK has to follow up with Austria, Germany and Belgium, which are already above 60% (EEA 2014). “According to the latest figures from DEFRA, 37%
of household waste was recycled in 2008/09. There was a 235% increase in household recycling in
England between 2000/01 and 2009/10. In 2009/10, compost was the largest component of recycled waste, comprising 40% of the total” (Wikipedia 2014).
Climate Change
The effects of climate change are already evident in the UK and around the globe. UK temperatures have risen. Globally, the weather is becoming more extreme, and will have a negative impact on humans, animals and plants (Clark 2013). The high temperatures in Europe in recent years
have cost the agricultural sector €13 billion. The economic consequences of changing climate
are serious and affect people’s lives directly (Banfill and Peacock 2007). The effects on the UK are
shown in Figure 8.

A closer look at sustainability practices: lessons from the UK

199