This conclusion is confirmed by many studies, including a recent study done for the government by the consultants erm, and a study carried out for the govemment- funded waste and resources action programme (wrap). The wrap study assessed the relative greenhouse gas savings associated with current uk levels of recycling for paper/cardboard, grass, plastics aluminium and steel, and concluded
The uks current recycling of those materials saves between 10-15 millon tones of co2 equivalents per year compared to applying the current mix of landfill and incineration with energy recovery to the same materials. This is equivalent to about 10 per cent of the annual co2 emissions from the Transport sector, and equates to taking 3.5 millon cars off uk roads.