The world’s growing e-waste problems is a hot topic in the news lately as more people have got new electronic goods for Christmas and many are still unaware that they can recycle the old ones. The e-waste problem doesn’t only affect consumers but also companies looking to dispose of old PCs, laptops, mobile phones, fax machines, photocopiers and printers.

This massive e-waste problem has led to many companies setting up scams where the waste will be collected only to be dumped illegally in countries like Africa, India and China. This illegal dumping problem has led to Greenpeace calling for increased regulations on e-waste, including better tracking on where it is actually ending up.

To help the cause, Greenpeace have launched an interactive map which shows exactly how e-waste is illegally shipped from the UK and the US and ends up being broken down in often crude conditions in developing countries.

According to Greenpeace statistics over 23,000 metric tonnes of undeclared electronic waste was shipped from the UK to developing countries in 2003.

Businesses and Consumers can recycle electronic items such as mobile phones or digital cameras here.

For many years, householders in the UK have had no problem with throwing food waste in the dustbin as it was assumed that it is all bridgeable and would simply rot away at landfill. However recent research by scientists has suggested that as food waste breaks down it releases methane gas into the air which is very bad for the environment.

This recent research has led to many companies and organizations’ looking for ways to cut down on people’s food waste and ensure it is disposed of correctly.

One way of cutting down on your own food waste is by making sure that leftovers are reused so either eat them on the same day or freeze them for consumption at a later date. Love Food Hate Waste is a great site to visit to find some great recipes that can be made out of leftover food.

Another option would be to take your leftovers down to your local soup kitchen and donate them to help feed the homeless.

It’s estimated that every family in Britain throws away around £420 of food per year, this works out at a staggering £12 billion worth of food being thrown in the bin.

Recent research has found that to get rid of the three million tonnes of waste produced in England and Wales over Christmas could cost councils as much as £78 million.

Up to as much as two thirds of this waste will end up at landfill costing local councils £40 per tonne in tax to the government.

In order to help deal with all this extra Christmas waste people are urged to recycle as much as possible and compost fruit and vegetable waste. It’s also important that people don’t buy more food than they actually need so less is thrown in the bin.

Across England and Wales, local councils are expected to deal with 230,000 tonnes of food, 10,000 tonnes of wrapping paper, 20,000 tonnes of Christmas cards and 25,000 tonnes of plastic packaging.

Many people are already keen on recycling their rubbish and these figures remind us why its so important to do so.