11/29/2011
Number of people dying as a result of obesity doubles in 10 years
Britain is facing an “obesity time-bomb” with the number of middle-aged people dying as a result of being overweight more than doubling in less than a decade, official figures have disclosed.
More than 190 people aged under 65 died as a direct result of their obesity last year – compared to just 88 in 2000. Deaths among those aged between 46 and 55 almost tripled.
Obesity was a contributing factor in a further 757 deaths last year – compared to just 358 in 2000.
The official figures were released by ministers amid growing concern that obesity will soon present a bigger threat to public health than smoking.
Last night, Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, urged the Government to increase their attempts to tackle the problem by increasing the warnings on fatty and unhealthy foods.
“Labour has neglected the UK’s obesity time-bomb and these figures demonstrate the awful consequences of their complacency,” he said.
“We urgently need action now, but unfortunately this Government’s record has been one of obesity targets missed and scrapped, budgets for information campaigns being raided, and dithering over food labelling. It is about time that the Labour Government woke up and started to take obesity seriously.”
“We urgently need action now, but unfortunately this Government’s record has been one of obesity targets missed and scrapped, budgets for information campaigns being raided, and dithering over food labelling. It is about time that the Labour Government woke up and started to take obesity seriously.”
The official figures disclose that in 2000, just 25 people aged between 46 and 55 died “where obesity was the underlying cause of death”. By 2005, the number has increased to 51 and last year it was 70.
The “number of deaths where obesity was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate” rose from 121 in 2000 to 257 last year for the same age group. Similar increases were also recorded for those aged between 34 and 45 and 56-65.
The figures are particularly alarming as they show that hundreds of younger people are dying because of a poor diet and lack of exercise.
Previous research found that “severe obesity” reduces life expectancy by about ten years. Therefore, most people dying today as a result of their weight could expect to have retired and be over 65.
The death rates are expected to increase sharply in the next few decades as today’s generation of overweight youngsters become middle-aged.
People who are overweight or obese face an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and osteo-arthritis. Obesity is also linked to several types of cancer.
Around half of British adults are overweight, and 17 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women are officially classed as obese. Britain has the highest obesity rates in Europe.
11/28/2011
Packaging and the Environment
From Rubbish to Recycled - Inside a recycling centre
Sustainable Packaging
Sustainable Packaging
- Why package?
- The six RS
Re-thinking
Re-using
Recycling
Refusing
Reducing
Repairing
Re-packaging
Dr Helene Roberts - Head of packaging - M&S
" We balance very much about what consumers actually needed to play all the functions of pacakging meet today, but same time not excited pack in any way."
Packaging and the Environment
Lee major talks about a new green technology his company uses.
"We use a material called plantic, it's a starch-based material, it's manufactured by an Australian company, and is 100% renewable. The other benefit of this packaging is that it's consumer compostable, and by that I mean that the consumer can throw it in the bin, or throw it in their garden, and with a little bit of moisture, the products breaks down within minutes, and that residue that;s left over. Is perfectly good to put on the garden, and has no environmental effects.
Sustainable Packaging
11/27/2011
Packaging waste
Trace the Waste [unnecessary packaging]
Over Packing is this worst, I bet you know worse?
Packaging Waste Exposed!
Reducing Packaging Waste
Reducing Packaging Waste: Lessons Learnt from M&S Plan A
Helene Roberts, Head of Packaging - Food Division, Marks & Spencer provides an overview of the retailer's waste and packaging commitments as part of Plan A and showcases an invaluable example of best practice in reducing plastic packaging volumes.
RETHINK YOUR RUBBISH!!! an insight into packaging, waste and recycling
A short documentary based on recycling and waste management. To help try and save the environment by making little changes to our lives. if everybody started to think more about recycling and the products that we buy in the supermarkets then maybe one day we wouldnt live under a pile of carrier bags!!
HouseSmarts Green Piece "Packaging Waste" Episode 106
RETHINK YOUR RUBBISH!!! an insight into packaging, waste and recycling
HouseSmarts Green Piece "Packaging Waste" Episode 106
11/26/2011
Cutting down on Christmas waste
Christmas! A time of goodwill and celebration, often accompanied by seasonal increases in eating, drinking and spending. If all goes well this combination should result in a lot of fun, but unfortunately it will also result in an estimated 3 million tonnes of waste. But you can have the best of both worlds. With a bit of thought you can limit the impact you have on the environment this Christmas and still have a great time.
As a result of our lifestyles, on average every household in the UK throws away 1.2 tonnes of waste every year. This amounts to a staggering 30 million tonnes in total.
In just a fortnight we each throw away from home, amongst other things, five glass bottles or jars, six cans, seven plastic bottles and three and a half kg of paper and card. A massive 60% of our household waste could be recycled or composted, but most of it is still deposited in landfill sites. Nearly 23% of domestic waste was recycled and composted in England in 2004/05. We need to find ways to not only recycle more, but also to reduce and reuse our waste. We need to focus our efforts and change our habits and what better time than during the Christmas period; a new approach for a New Year!
Having a green Christmas doesn't mean being a Scrooge! Just follow these simple action points for cutting down on Christmas waste.
A feast of waste
Why bother?
The amount of waste we produce and our main methods of disposal are currently not sustainable. The production, treatment and disposal of waste can all harm the environment. This is not just because of the problems with landfill, incineration or other disposal options - it is also because we use new resources to replace ones we have thrown out. It is estimated that for every tonne of waste produced in our homes, five tonnes has already been produced in manufacturing and 10 tonnes at the point where the raw material was extracted. About 600 million tonnes of raw resources are used in the UK per year, 570 million tonnes of which end up as waste losses through energy, water, solid wastes and other emissions.As a result of our lifestyles, on average every household in the UK throws away 1.2 tonnes of waste every year. This amounts to a staggering 30 million tonnes in total.
In just a fortnight we each throw away from home, amongst other things, five glass bottles or jars, six cans, seven plastic bottles and three and a half kg of paper and card. A massive 60% of our household waste could be recycled or composted, but most of it is still deposited in landfill sites. Nearly 23% of domestic waste was recycled and composted in England in 2004/05. We need to find ways to not only recycle more, but also to reduce and reuse our waste. We need to focus our efforts and change our habits and what better time than during the Christmas period; a new approach for a New Year!
Having a green Christmas doesn't mean being a Scrooge! Just follow these simple action points for cutting down on Christmas waste.
How's, what's and where's of recycling at Christmas
Waste at home
What we produce？
We all produce waste of some sort, whether it is the empty drinks can, or the grass clippings from the garden. We estimate that nearly 30million tonnes of household waste were collected in the UK in 2003/04. That's over 500 kg, or half a tonne, of rubbish per person per year!
So where does it all go?
A total of 72% of municipal waste is landfilled - which means it's buried in the ground
9% is incinerated - which means it's burnt - this is also called energy from waste.
Dealing with our rubbish in this way is not an ideal solution. When we bury or burn our rubbish we are losing valuable natural resources and wasting the energy, water and transport costs used in its production. Landfilling and incineration can harm the environment if not properly managed. Many landfill sites are nearly full and we are rapidly running out of suitable land, close to where the rubbish is produced, for new sites. In any case, these sites are often unwelcome neighbours - we keep producing the rubbish, but we don't want it disposed of near to where we live.
The alternative?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
We would all benefit from:
Reducing the amount of rubbish we create
Reusing as much of our rubbish as possible
increasing the 19% of waste that we currently recycle and compost (although the latest figures suggest we are now recycling 23%)
That is what the 3Rs are about - reduce, reuse, recycle.
Reducing - every year the amount of rubbish we produce increases and this leads to increased costs for society - both financial and environmental. The majority of the resources that we use to make things - only to throw them away - can't be replaced. Throwing away our rubbish puts pressure on the environment - not only from the landfills and incinerators, but also because we have to extract and process even more resources, and transport our new goods and our old rubbish so increasing vehicle emissions. As consumers, we have the ability to reverse this trend - buy only the right quantity of what we really need, choose products with less packaging, and buy from producers employing sustainable practices.
Reusing - we can cut down on the amount of rubbish we have to get rid of by reusing our materials. Computers, furniture, clothing - so many items can be reused. Setting the printer to print on both sides of a sheet of paper, repairing our broken appliances and shoes or finding a charity that will make use of them - we help ourselves and others, and delay the point at which materials become waste.
Recycling - putting materials aside for recycling helps in many ways: we send less rubbish to landfill or incineration, and we save valuable materials and energy - for example, plastic bottles can be converted into fleeces and garden furniture, whilst recycling aluminium cans saves 95% of the energy used in making a new can. New technologies are furthering our ability to recycle what was previously our waste and turn it back into the resources that we need.
Buy recycled - If you find that a material is not being recycled in your area, it may be because the markets are not strong enough for the local authority to pay for collecting it. To help alleviate this, support those industries that use recycled materials by buying recycled products. Buying recycled 'closes the loop' in recycling - remember that it's not enough just to recycle, buying recycled ensures that the materials you send for recycling are actually used again.
You may also be interested in other ways to use your power as a consumer to help promote sustainability - visit green choices for further suggestions on environmentally friendly shopping.
Sustainable solutions - The problem of what to do with the waste we produce is worldwide though the solutions have to be provided locally. In the UK there are many organisations - governmental and independent, local and national who are trying to move Britain forward towards a sustainable society.
We all produce waste of some sort, whether it is the empty drinks can, or the grass clippings from the garden. We estimate that nearly 30million tonnes of household waste were collected in the UK in 2003/04. That's over 500 kg, or half a tonne, of rubbish per person per year!
So where does it all go?
A total of 72% of municipal waste is landfilled - which means it's buried in the ground
9% is incinerated - which means it's burnt - this is also called energy from waste.
Dealing with our rubbish in this way is not an ideal solution. When we bury or burn our rubbish we are losing valuable natural resources and wasting the energy, water and transport costs used in its production. Landfilling and incineration can harm the environment if not properly managed. Many landfill sites are nearly full and we are rapidly running out of suitable land, close to where the rubbish is produced, for new sites. In any case, these sites are often unwelcome neighbours - we keep producing the rubbish, but we don't want it disposed of near to where we live.
The alternative?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
We would all benefit from:
Reducing the amount of rubbish we create
Reusing as much of our rubbish as possible
increasing the 19% of waste that we currently recycle and compost (although the latest figures suggest we are now recycling 23%)
That is what the 3Rs are about - reduce, reuse, recycle.
Reducing - every year the amount of rubbish we produce increases and this leads to increased costs for society - both financial and environmental. The majority of the resources that we use to make things - only to throw them away - can't be replaced. Throwing away our rubbish puts pressure on the environment - not only from the landfills and incinerators, but also because we have to extract and process even more resources, and transport our new goods and our old rubbish so increasing vehicle emissions. As consumers, we have the ability to reverse this trend - buy only the right quantity of what we really need, choose products with less packaging, and buy from producers employing sustainable practices.
Reusing - we can cut down on the amount of rubbish we have to get rid of by reusing our materials. Computers, furniture, clothing - so many items can be reused. Setting the printer to print on both sides of a sheet of paper, repairing our broken appliances and shoes or finding a charity that will make use of them - we help ourselves and others, and delay the point at which materials become waste.
Recycling - putting materials aside for recycling helps in many ways: we send less rubbish to landfill or incineration, and we save valuable materials and energy - for example, plastic bottles can be converted into fleeces and garden furniture, whilst recycling aluminium cans saves 95% of the energy used in making a new can. New technologies are furthering our ability to recycle what was previously our waste and turn it back into the resources that we need.
Buy recycled - If you find that a material is not being recycled in your area, it may be because the markets are not strong enough for the local authority to pay for collecting it. To help alleviate this, support those industries that use recycled materials by buying recycled products. Buying recycled 'closes the loop' in recycling - remember that it's not enough just to recycle, buying recycled ensures that the materials you send for recycling are actually used again.
You may also be interested in other ways to use your power as a consumer to help promote sustainability - visit green choices for further suggestions on environmentally friendly shopping.
Sustainable solutions - The problem of what to do with the waste we produce is worldwide though the solutions have to be provided locally. In the UK there are many organisations - governmental and independent, local and national who are trying to move Britain forward towards a sustainable society.
What happens to waste
What happens to the rubbish we produce?
Waste from our homes is generally collected by our local authorities through regular waste collection, or by special collections for recycling. In addition, householders may make special trips to their civic amenity (CA) site, or organise a bulky waste collection in order to dispose of particular items.
Whilst it is difficult to monitor reduction and reuse schemes, councils and waste management companies do collect figures allowing us to note how much of collected waste is intended for recycling (or recovery) and how much for final disposal through landfill. The main methods currently employed are landfilling, recycling, composting and energy from waste plants.
Landfill
At the most basic level landfilling involved placing waste in a hole in the ground and covering it with soil. Today, the engineering of a modern landfill is a complex process, typically involving lining and capping individual "cells" into which waste is compacted and covered to prevent the escape of polluting liquid or gases. Systems are installed to capture and remove the gases and liquids produced by the rotting rubbish.
Household waste recycling
Recyclate from recycling collections are frequently sent to a materials recycling facility (MRF).
At the MRF the materials typically travel along a conveyor belt and the specific fractions are gradually removed. Metals may be extracted using magnets, paper taken off by weight and other screening devises used. Following separation the constituent material are baled prior to sending to reprocessors.
The activities at these plants are specific to the material being processed Ð pulping and shredding of paper, granulation of plastics, melting of metals and glass to name but a few.
Many goods produced with recycled content will end up in the shops as ordinary household products, such as bin bags, stationery, furniture, or even filling for duvets and pillows.
Composting
The biodegradable component of municipal waste that will break down is know as BMW and includes kitchen and garden waste, paper, card and more. Composting allows this material to break down and results in the formation of compost that can be used as fertilizer.
Although compost can be made at home, councils are increasingly developing centralised composting schemes for residents' garden waste to tackle this large and problematic part of the waste stream.
Incineration
Incineration is the burning of waste. Incineration may be carried out with or without energy recovery. The energy released from burning the rubbish is often used to generate electricity.
source：http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/topic?topic=a0gC0000002RwGLIA0
The problem with waste
What is waste and why does it matter?
Waste or rubbish is what people throw away because they no longer need it or want it. Almost everything we do creates waste and as a society we are currently producing more waste than ever before. We do this at home and at work. The fact that we produce waste, and get rid of it, matters for the following reasons
-when something is thrown away we lose the natural resources, the energy and the time which have been used to make the product. The vast majority of resources that we use in manufacturing products and providing services cannot be replaced. The use of these resources cannot go on indefinitely - we would run out.
-when something is thrown away we are putting pressure on the environment's ability to cope - in terms of the additional environmental impacts associated with extracting the new resources, manufacturing and distributing the goods, and in terms of the environmental impacts associated with getting rid of our rubbish.
-when something is thrown away we are failing to see it as a resource. It is well understood that what is waste to one person may not be viewed as waste by another. A good example of this is scrap metal which has been recycled for many years. Increasingly people are realising that it makes economic sense as well as environmental sense to use "waste" rather than just throw it away.
The process of using up the earth's natural resources to make products which we then throw away, sometimes a very short time later, is not "sustainable" - in other words, it cannot continue indefinitely.
The way in which we consume materials will affect whether we have a sustainable society that leaves resources available for future generations to use. As consumers and producers, we are central to the concept of sustainability. We need to think about how we can use fewer resources ("get more out of less"), how we can make products last for longer (which means we use less and we throw away less) and how we can do better things with our so-called "waste" than throw it away. We need to see "waste" as a "resource".
The "waste hierarchy"
The best way of managing our waste is not to produce it in the first place - waste prevention. After that we can think about reducing the amount of waste we do produce. Then there may be an option to reuse the material. The UK Government has developed this approach to derive a hierarchy of options for managing waste - known as "the waste hierarchy".
The waste hierarchy specifies the following order of preference for dealing with our wastes - with those towards the top of the list more desirable than those towards the bottom，
reduce
reuse
recover
(recycle
compost
recover energy)
disposal
The hierarchy is a guide. It does not mean that in all circumstances, at all times, a higher option will be better than a lower option. In most cases a combination of options for managing the different wastes produced at home and at work will be needed. But the hierarchy provides a simple rule of thumb guide to the relative environmental benefits of different options.
The problem we have today is that more of our rubbish is dealt with towards the bottom end of the hierarchy than the top. The challenge is to change our attitudes and our practices so that much more of our waste is dealt with by options towards the top of the hierarchy.
Waste or rubbish is what people throw away because they no longer need it or want it. Almost everything we do creates waste and as a society we are currently producing more waste than ever before. We do this at home and at work. The fact that we produce waste, and get rid of it, matters for the following reasons
-when something is thrown away we lose the natural resources, the energy and the time which have been used to make the product. The vast majority of resources that we use in manufacturing products and providing services cannot be replaced. The use of these resources cannot go on indefinitely - we would run out.
-when something is thrown away we are putting pressure on the environment's ability to cope - in terms of the additional environmental impacts associated with extracting the new resources, manufacturing and distributing the goods, and in terms of the environmental impacts associated with getting rid of our rubbish.
-when something is thrown away we are failing to see it as a resource. It is well understood that what is waste to one person may not be viewed as waste by another. A good example of this is scrap metal which has been recycled for many years. Increasingly people are realising that it makes economic sense as well as environmental sense to use "waste" rather than just throw it away.
The process of using up the earth's natural resources to make products which we then throw away, sometimes a very short time later, is not "sustainable" - in other words, it cannot continue indefinitely.
The way in which we consume materials will affect whether we have a sustainable society that leaves resources available for future generations to use. As consumers and producers, we are central to the concept of sustainability. We need to think about how we can use fewer resources ("get more out of less"), how we can make products last for longer (which means we use less and we throw away less) and how we can do better things with our so-called "waste" than throw it away. We need to see "waste" as a "resource".
The "waste hierarchy"
The best way of managing our waste is not to produce it in the first place - waste prevention. After that we can think about reducing the amount of waste we do produce. Then there may be an option to reuse the material. The UK Government has developed this approach to derive a hierarchy of options for managing waste - known as "the waste hierarchy".
The waste hierarchy specifies the following order of preference for dealing with our wastes - with those towards the top of the list more desirable than those towards the bottom，
reduce
reuse
recover
(recycle
compost
recover energy)
disposal
The hierarchy is a guide. It does not mean that in all circumstances, at all times, a higher option will be better than a lower option. In most cases a combination of options for managing the different wastes produced at home and at work will be needed. But the hierarchy provides a simple rule of thumb guide to the relative environmental benefits of different options.
The problem we have today is that more of our rubbish is dealt with towards the bottom end of the hierarchy than the top. The challenge is to change our attitudes and our practices so that much more of our waste is dealt with by options towards the top of the hierarchy.
Wacky waste facts
Wacky waste facts
Have you ever thought about how much rubbish you and your family throw away every week? Or why we need to stop throwing so much of it away? This page is full of amazing waste facts. Did you know that...
General garbage
The UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year. This rate of rubbish generation would fill the Albert Hall in London in less than 2 hours.
Every year UK households throw away the equivalent of 3 ½ million double-decker buses (almost 30 million tonnes), a queue of which would stretch from London to Sydney(Australia) and back.
On average, each person in the UK, throws away seven times their body weight (about 500kg) in rubbish every year.
Glass
On average, every family in the UK consumes around 330 glass bottles and jars a year. (British Glass)
It is not known how long glass takes to break down but it is so long that glass made in the Middle East over 3000 years ago can still be found today.
Recycling two bottles saves enough energy to boil water for five cups of tea.
Fantastic plastic
Every year, an estimated 17
½ billion plastic bags are given away by supermarkets. This is equivalent to over 290 bags for every person in the UK. 17 ½ billion seconds ago it was the year 1449.
We produce and use 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago!
Oil
1 litre of oil can pollute 1 million litres of fresh drinking water (Scottish Oil Care Campaign).
Waste oil from nearly 3 million car oil changes in Britain is not collected. If collected properly, this could meet the annual energy needs of 1.5 million people. (Scottish Oil Care Campaign)
Preposterous paper
About one fifth of the contents of household dustbins consists of paper and card, of which half is newspapers and magazines.This is equivalent to over 4kg of waste paper per household in the UK each week.
Persistent packaging
In 2001 UK households produced the equivalent weight of 245 jumbo jets per week in packaging waste.
Every year each person produces 4 times as much packaging waste as their luggage allowance on a jumbo jet.
Revolting rubbish
Babies' nappies makes up about 2 % of the average household rubbish. This is equivalent to the weight of nearly 70,000 double decker buses every year. If lined up front to end, the buses would stretch from London to Edinburgh.
source：http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/topic?topic=a0gC0000002RwGKIA0
Have you ever thought about how much rubbish you and your family throw away every week? Or why we need to stop throwing so much of it away? This page is full of amazing waste facts. Did you know that...
General garbage
The UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year. This rate of rubbish generation would fill the Albert Hall in London in less than 2 hours.
Every year UK households throw away the equivalent of 3 ½ million double-decker buses (almost 30 million tonnes), a queue of which would stretch from London to Sydney(Australia) and back.
On average, each person in the UK, throws away seven times their body weight (about 500kg) in rubbish every year.
Glass
On average, every family in the UK consumes around 330 glass bottles and jars a year. (British Glass)
It is not known how long glass takes to break down but it is so long that glass made in the Middle East over 3000 years ago can still be found today.
Recycling two bottles saves enough energy to boil water for five cups of tea.
Fantastic plastic
Every year, an estimated 17
½ billion plastic bags are given away by supermarkets. This is equivalent to over 290 bags for every person in the UK. 17 ½ billion seconds ago it was the year 1449.
We produce and use 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago!
Oil
1 litre of oil can pollute 1 million litres of fresh drinking water (Scottish Oil Care Campaign).
Waste oil from nearly 3 million car oil changes in Britain is not collected. If collected properly, this could meet the annual energy needs of 1.5 million people. (Scottish Oil Care Campaign)
Preposterous paper
About one fifth of the contents of household dustbins consists of paper and card, of which half is newspapers and magazines.This is equivalent to over 4kg of waste paper per household in the UK each week.
Persistent packaging
In 2001 UK households produced the equivalent weight of 245 jumbo jets per week in packaging waste.
Every year each person produces 4 times as much packaging waste as their luggage allowance on a jumbo jet.
Revolting rubbish
Babies' nappies makes up about 2 % of the average household rubbish. This is equivalent to the weight of nearly 70,000 double decker buses every year. If lined up front to end, the buses would stretch from London to Edinburgh.
source：http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/topic?topic=a0gC0000002RwGKIA0
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