Is it really worth the effort to recycle? Will your meagre contribution to the recycling cause really make a difference? The answer is a resounding 'yes', because when it comes to the environment it is the sum of many small actions that can often have the biggest impact.
To see what we mean, consider Belgium, a country where 84 per cent of all household packaging gets recycled thanks to the efforts of people just like you.
Household packaging waste management in Belgium is run by an organisation called Fost Plus, which works alongside industry, consumers, municipalities and recyclers to make sure recycling is handled as efficiently as possible.
Fost Plus activities include helping distributors of private-label goods, producers and importers to achieve European Union targets for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste, in cooperation with local authorities and waste management companies.
The Belgian results have been a true success story, with more than 90 per cent of inhabitants recycling their packaging, so that only six per cent goes to waste disposal.
Fost Plus also works on the prevention of packaging and packaging waste and is continuously optimising the system to ensure an even greater proportion of waste packaging can be recycled.
While the recycling schemes in your country may not yet match Fost Plus's facts and figures, the Belgian scheme shows just what is possible if everyone does their bit. Now it's up to you.
Click on the link below to find out more about Fost Plus, the household packaging waste management organisation in Belgium:
Fost Plus