Landfill - up close and personal
Schools visiting Wingmoor landfill site can now see for themselves the horrors of burying waste underground by using the new viewing platform.
To encourage the next generation to follow the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and cut the amount of waste that goes to landfill - the council has installed the platform enabling school parties to get a bird’s eye view of the landfill site.
As well as being unsightly, landfilling waste is harmful to the environment, as it creates methane – a greenhouse gas around 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and a contributing factor to climate change.
Cllr Stan Waddington, cabinet member for waste, said: “It is important young people identify where their waste goes if it isn’t recycled or composted.
“A landfill site looks disgusting but I believe such a trip has a positive impact on children and encourages them to minimise their waste in future years.
“Gloucestershire County Council is working hard with its partners to increase recycling across the county and we currently recycle and compost 42% of household waste with a target of at least 60% by 2020.”
Landfilling waste is also becoming increasingly expensive, with Gloucestershire Council tax payers set to foot a £7.7 million pound Landfill Tax bill this financial year alone.
Any schools who are interested in using the new viewing platform at Wingmoor Farm will need to book with the Waste Education Officer Hannah Gray, please contact her at hannah.gray@gloucestershire.gov.uk or call her on 01452 425872.
02 June 2010