At current rates of soil erosion, which is often caused by intensive agriculture, we will lose half of the world s fertile topsoil within 30 years. Pests are increasingly resistant to chemicals. You Save Energy and Money , Energy Saving Trust in association with Department of Environment Transport and the Regions, pg. In the most recent survey, just over half of respondents said they recycled paper on a regular basis, just under half recycled glass, and a third recycled cans. City dwellers in rich industrialised countries generate up to 100 times more refuse per person than city dwellers in developing countries.
Recycling makes more sense for some materials than others.
Goods that used to be long-term purchases are often now regarded as disposable. In rich countries, the average household contains around 10,000 things . Given that they must be chosen, bought, maintained, cleaned, stored, repaired and eventually disposed of, they end up costing us the one thing we can t buy more of - time. References Traffic in the UK has increased by two thirds since 1980, most of this increase being accounted for by private cars. Cars are the world s single largest source of global air pollution.