I read a report earlier this week that I’ve not been able to get out of my head since. Washing the dishes? I’m thinking about it. Wake up in the night? I’m lying there worrying about it and can’t get back to sleep. Sorting the rubbish and recycling? Most definitely! There just has to be a solution to the problem and while it’s not my decision to make, I feel compelled to try and fathom out a solution. Something just has to be done…   

  

I’ve predicted several times over the years in these Leaders that one day we’ll be fighting over water. This – and what we do to ensure there’s enough for everyone, plus waste and recycling (and public toilets!) have long been pet subjects of mine. I’ve been a keen recycler for 40-plus years and have felt heartened that it’s come to the fore for us all, but I really started worrying about waste and where it’s all going to go when I visited the exhibition at the Millennium Dome 25-ish years ago and discovered just how long it takes for so much of what we casually acquire, use and discard every day, to break down. How many mountains of waste do we have room for on the planet?   

  

Reading the report about the tens of thousands of landfill sites around the globe that are eroding and thus potentially leaking toxic waste, threatening human health, disrupting fragile ecosystems and poisoning our water, painted a picture that goes beyond unpleasant and scary. Yes the more modern sites are pollution controlled but it doesn’t take long for an overloaded system to crack and we’re already pushing it. I’ll probably get a lot of stick for saying this but I don’t believe we can influence climate change the way many folk are claiming we can. I do believe though that we have an enormous influence on the very fibre of this planet and thus the quality of life of everything on it.  

  

Fining people and companies for transgressions isn’t the answer. Indeed for companies, a fine can make it even more difficult to comply in the future. We need a plan and we need education. We really have to get our heads together – all of us – to find ways to dramatically cut the amount waste we produce. Please read the report below, visit the websites to learn more, (and ensure you click on the interactive map) – and, as I do, when you can’t sleep at night, spend the time thinking about what you can do to make a difference. We all need to work together on this and fast.