Where does all your rubbish go?

Have you ever wondered where the materials you take to the household recycling centres go?

Dorset’s recycling centres are some of the highest performing in the country, achieving an average reuse, recycling and composting rate of 78 per cent during April to July 2009. This figure has increased by two per cent from the same period in 2008.

Now, Dorset County Council has published a comprehensive list of where each material is sent at www.dorsetforyou.com/enddestinations for residents to find out what happens to these materials.

Each of the 11 Household Recycling Centres across Dorset accepts a wide range of materials from garden waste to fluorescent tubes. The materials collected are taken to various locations where they are reused, treated, and reprocessed. This allows them to be returned as valuable commodities, reducing reliance on raw materials and helping the environment by saving carbon dioxide.

County council cabinet member for the environment Hilary Cox said: “Reusing or repairing products and recycling stops waste going to landfill sites. Dorset has one of the highest recycling rates in the country, however there is still more that can be done to reduce the amount of waste produced across the county.

“To help us reduce what we have to deal with, we must encourage residents to separate their materials before visiting any household recycling centre. People are often surprised by the amount of materials that we recycle. Providing information on what happens to these materials highlights just how much we can recover from waste and makes residents think more about the items they throw away.”

For more information about recycling in Dorset go to www.dorsetforyou.com/recycling