Easy Steps to Sustainable Living and Recycling in Scotland

Recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials in to new materials and objects Let s look at why it is important and what you can do to help!

Natural Resources Natural Resources are resources that are drawn from nature such as water, land, minerals and all plants and vegetation. These are used to produce things we take for granted every day such as running water, food, energy, paper and packaging. But there is only so much the Earth has to give! Reducingthe use of the planet s natural resources has become a major focus of governments around the world.

Scotlands Waste We re very lucky to live where we do. Scotland is a beautiful country that people travel from all over the world to visit. To keep Scotland looking it s best we need to make small changes to the way we live,what we buy and what we do with our waste. Let s look at some facts to show why that s the case; If every country in the world consumed as much as Scotland does, we would need 3 planets to support the demand! Scotland produces 2.4 million tonnes of waste every year the equivalent of 600,000 elephants! Less than half of household waste is currently recycled, we can and must do more!

Sustainability Sustainability means to live, act and consume in a manner that supports our environment and conserve natural resources to support the wellbeing of current and future generations What decisions can you and your family make to be more sustainable?

Waste Hierarchy The Waste Hierarchy shows us how best to protect and maintain the planet s natural resources. It works from the top down and should always be considered when trying to be sustainable.

Recycling is easy! One of the best ways to protect our Natural Resources is to Recycle! Recycling is easy! Paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, tins, drinks cans and many more everyday items can easily be recycled at home and at school. What bins can you think of at home and at school to help you recycle? Do you use them?

Segregating When we put different waste stream (paper, plastic, metal etc) in to different bins, this is called segregating. This allows the material to be more easily recycled and therefore helps turn waste in to new products!

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire Council provide a range of bins to assist with domestic recycling It s vital we all do our bit! At home At work At school

Did You Know? Your blue bin is for paper, card and cardboard North Ayrshire Council collects more than 5,400 tonnes of paper and cardboard every year! As paper and cardboard is a valuable resource, money received for this material helps fund libraries, swimming pools & other local amenities Around 15% of the content of these bins are material that shouldn t be included. This is called contamination

Paper & Card The cereal box you use in the morning The paper you use at school The boxes from online deliveries (Amazon etc) The newspapers and magazines in your house The mail (including junk mail) delivered every day The pizza box your takeaway comes in Let s take Paper & Card as an example. Just think how many things made of paper and card that you see or use every day that can be recycled! What other paper and card items can you think of that could be recycled?

Benefits of Recycling If we recycle properly, everybody wins. There are local and global benefits to people and the environment when materials like paper and card are recycled. Jobs (approx. 20,000 in Scotland) for councils (NAC estimate 1.6m p/y) Landfill reduction (down 63% since 2005) Helps preserve Scotland s resources Recycled paper uses up to 70% less energy vs new For aluminium such as drinks cans this is up to 95%! Reduction in deforestation of 33% since 2000 Less water use, 23,400ltr less per tonne. 377 showers! Protects eco-systems and wildlife natural habitats How many job roles linked to recycling can you think of?

The Journey of Paper Now we understand why recycling is important, and how easy it can be, let s look at what happens to a cardboard box when it s used then recycled correctly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-bSw-JMCs8

Educate Others Please share what you have learned today with your friends and family. We all have a responsibility to use our planet s resources responsibly and ensure the environment we love is protected for generations to come!

Just For Fun Let s see how many words relating to this presentation you can find in this wordsearch

Further Resources If you would like to learn more about recycling, both locally and in general, these links will help you on your journey https://www.sepa.org.uk/ https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/ https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/bins-litter-and-recycling/recycling/recycling.aspx https://www.saica.com/en/saica-natur/