It's official - your planet needs you!
This Friday prime ministers, heads of state and environment ministers will be delivering statements and committing themselves to care for the Earth in celebration of World Environment Day (WED).
Run by the United Nations Environment Programme, WED takes place on 5 June every year and is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The theme for this year's event is 'Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change', and environmental campaigners, politicians and those working in the environmental sector are calling on everyone to help combat climate change.
Wayne Lewis is the coordinator for Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP): all Oxfordshire councils working together to increase recycling, reduce waste and bring about better waste management across the county.
Oxfordshire recycles just over 43% of its waste, but there is more that can be done. Wayne explains, "WED is a great way of raising awareness of environmental issues on a world stage, but there are still loads of ways we can make a difference locally. We're encouraging everyone to see if they have any extra items they can recycle that they'd not previously thought of before, whether it’s a shampoo bottle, a drink carton or even a battery there are many recycling options across the county."
Paul Mocroft also works for OWP and echoes Wayne's comments, but would like people to take things one step further: "Once we're recycling as much as we can it's time to think about the waste we're generating in the first place. Just ask yourself a few simple questions when shopping. Did I remember to pick up my reusable bags? Why didn’t I buy those fruit and vegetables unpackaged?"
Paul adds: "So many small actions take such little effort but really have a large impact on the amount of waste we produce. With all this gorgeous weather we're enjoying at the moment, my hot tip is to carry around a refillable water bottle: save money on bottled water and save the waste!"
