‘Let's cut the waste sent to landfill and actively reuse and recycle’
Disposing of products generates greenhouse gases – by using resources wisely we can all help fight the climate crisis
What does this target mean?
‘This target takes in the whole circle of all the products and services we use from how they are made in the first instance right through to how we dispose of them afterwards. Understanding how our resources are generated, from office stationery through to garden machinery, and using them efficiently, will help us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and therefore be a positive weapon to help us reverse the climate crisis. With this knowledge, we can encourage and help gardeners, schools, businesses and communities to do the same.’
What is the RHS already doing to meet this target?
‘In the five RHS Gardens, all green waste is composted so it can be reused as a valuable
‘Through the Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign, we are helping gardeners understand how they can do the same at home. Some of the key actions are reusing household materials and seasonal items and if that’s not an option then consider recycling them through boot sales and reclamation sites so they can continue to be useful in someone else’s gardens.
‘Repairing and maintaining garden tools to increase their longevity will not only save you money as you don’t have to buy something new, but also prevent more items going to the landfill.’
What will the RHS do next to meet this target?
‘We are on track to complete a waste audit of our gardens and shows to inform a new RHS waste strategy so we can reach our target, by 2030, of zero waste to landfill.
‘Within this we will looking at the products and services we use and work to ‘design out’ waste in the first instance by reducing, reusing, recycling, repairing, reinvesting more sustainably, composted or sent for green energy recovery.
‘We now have in place a post-doctoral fellowship working with us for the next five years to develop and launch a Planet-Friendly Sustainability Calculator for gardeners by 2025. Waste will be one of the important elements of this calculator.’
Why should gardeners care about this?
‘There are now more than 30 million people in the UK actively gardening. Together all of their small actions take on a much larger significance and even a small amount of waste saving can have a powerful impact. The good thing about considering waste is that everyone can do it in their own home. You don’t have to go anywhere or buy anything extra, and it’s not complicated. But it can be a game-changer for the planet, its climate, its wildlife and human health.’
See also:
- Composting
- Shredding and composting woody waste
- Using woody waste as mulch
- Closing the circle – four ways to be a greener gardener
