There are several reasons why we need to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill:

 The waste dumped in landfill represents a reduction in the world's natural resources.

  As this waste breaks down, it releases carbon dioxide and methane (greenhouse gasses) into the atmosphere, both of which contribute to global climate change.

  As well as gases, a liquid called leachate is produced as the waste decomposes. This can seep into the soil, rivers and streams and pollute the natural environment.

  There is now simply not enough room left to continue to landfill the amount we do.

As well as all the environmental and financial cost of landfill, there are tough new laws laid out by the European Union Landfill Directive to ensure that something is done about our waste problem before it is too late. These state that the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill in Aberdeen must be reduced by 25% by 2010, 50% by 2013 and 65% by 2020!

So, it's official!! Rubbish has now become a big issue.

A good way to start is to adopt the principles of the Waste Hierarchy of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. By following these principles it becomes easier to re-examine what we throw away. How much of it is actually waste?

We can all take steps to reduce the amount of waste we produce. These are often more economical and an excellent way to save money.

We can reduce waste by looking at how much of it can actually be reused.

Many of the contents of your bin can be recycled. We can then recover value from our waste and at the same time reduce our demand on raw materials.

There is a real need to tackle the volume of waste produced and the environmental impact this waste has. If we Reduce, Reuse and Recycle more of our domestic waste, we save energy, create less pollution and help to preserve stocks of non-renewable raw materials. But we can't do it without your help.

This site tells you all you need to know for you to begin to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle your waste. To make it easier, we will start with recycling then move through reuse to reduction. A final step will show you some of the more advanced things that you can do to make a difference.

Here are some astonishing facts about waste, which may help to inspire us all.

  8 million free plastic carrier bags are used each year by shoppers, enough to go 10 times round the Earth.

  £36 million worth of Aluminium cans are put into landfill sites.

  9 million disposable nappies are thrown away daily in the UK; each one taking 500 years to decompose.

Take the first step now and let's sort it out!

Step1 - Monitoring
Step2 - Recycling
Step3 - Reuse
Step4 - Reduce