Recycling Facts

• Textiles make up 12% of landfill sites
• Britain produces around 650,000 tonnes of textile waste a year
• Only a quarter of this is recycled by charities, clothes banks and jumble sales

What is a Landfill Site?

A Landfill site is a place where solid waste is deposited -it is usually a hole in the ground.

What happens at a Landfill Site?

Your waste is collected from your Wheelie bin and put into the Refuse Collection Vehicle and when the vehicle is full it drives to the nearest landfill site and is weighed on a weighbridge. From this weight a ticket is produced (Total weight minus the vehicle weight equals the weight of the waste). the vehicle is then driven to the tipping face where the driver ejects the load of waste into the landfill. A Compactor (a large tractor with spikes on its wheels) pushes the rubbish into position and rolls over it the compact it into the ground. When the layer of rubbish is 2 metres deep a layer of soil and clay is deposited on top of the rubbish to seal it to the site and helps to stop litter escaping.

What happens to the Waste then?

Over time the organic rubbish such as food and paper will begin to break down (Biodegrade). This rotting process produces a substance called 'Leachate' and also gives off Landfill gas (Methane and Carbon Dioxide). This gas and Leachate must be monitored and controlled to prevent environmental damage and to stop the gas from exploding!

The Cost?

We are running out of Landfill space so the Government is making this form of waste disposal ever more expensive in order to try and encourage everybody to find alternative methods of disposal and to try and increase recycling.