Average Mansfield resident produces equivalent of 102 family-sized turkeys in waste

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy is urging people across England to try to reduce their packaging waste ahead of Christmas, after figures showed a rise in the amount of household rubbish generated nationally in the first year of the pandemic.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs data shows Mansfield Council collected an average of 408.8kg of household waste per person from homes in the area in 2020-21.

However, that was down from 410.4kg the year before, and the equivalent of about 102 family-sized turkeys each.

But residents were less wasteful than the average person across England last year – 420.6kg of household waste was collected per person nationally on average.

Allison Ogden-Newton, Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, said more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated on Christmas Day across Great Britain, and a billion cards are thrown away.

She said: “We all have a part to play in making the changes that will limit global warming and stem the rising tide of plastic choking our oceans.

"Think about what you buy, what you consume and what you will do with the packaging waste you create and make the right choices for our environment.”

About 31 per cent of household waste in Mansfield was sent for reuse, recycling or composting in 2020-21 – down from 34 per cent in 2019-20.

Worrying

Greenpeace said the rise in national household waste is worrying.

Nina Schrank, senior campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said the coronavirus pandemic will have contributed, with people receiving more deliveries and disposing of more waste at home.

She said: “At Christmas time we become more aware of our rubbish as we pile up packaging and wrapping when preparing food and opening presents.

“Seeing mountains of waste makes us very aware of the environmental impacts of our purchases.”

Resources and waste minister Jo Churchill said councils faced unprecedented challenges to keep rubbish collections running during the pandemic

She said: “Recycling and reusing more of our waste is key to helping us protect the environment for future generations.

“Despite a highly challenging year, less than 8 per cent of local authority collected waste went to landfill, while food waste recycling from households increased by 12 per cent."

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