What you may notice from task 1 is that the Items on the list fall into 3 broad categories:

• Material type: e.g. paper, plastic, cardboard
• Functionality: e.g. food wrapping, drinks carton
• Conceptual: e.g. Time, Energy, Process

In 1990 the UK produced approximately 435 million tonnes of waste. The chart below (figure 1) shows the percentages of various types of waste identified by the government.

Although it may seem difficult to believe, this figure is actually only an estimate. It wasn't until the implementation of the Environmental Protection act 1990 and additional sections added through the 1995 Environment Act that a formal National waste strategy became a statutory (legal) requirement. The secretary of state has to ensure that certain objectives are adhered to and in order to achieve that specific data on waste is required.

The Environment Agency were given the responsibility to carry out a national waste survey so that the initial waste management strategy could be developed further. This was carried out in 1998/1999 and a new draft waste strategy, "A way with waste" was produced at the end of 1999. You can obtain this free of charge from DETR Free Literature, PO Box 236, Wetherby, LS23 7NB Tel: 0870 1226 236. Fax: 0870 1226 237 or you can E-mail: detr@twoten.press.net