Tiny changes make big difference to planet

As Britain throws away the extra 2.5m tonnes of rubbish generated by Christmas, the Environment Agency is urging people to make a pledge to help save the planet.

Taking a shower rather than a bath, planting a tree, and cutting down the daily car mileage are among its 60 suggestions for reversing the trends destroying the British environment.

In its annual report it says that small efforts by a sufficiently large number of people can make a big difference. And, by counting the pledges, it hopes to calculate how big a difference the country is making.

For example, if every driver took one fewer car journey a week, average nine miles, it would cut carbon dioxide emissions from traffic by 13%.

Recycling and composting waste, rather than throwing it away as rubbish, can reduce council tax bills as well as saving the environment. Many of the trends which make life more or less pleasant are made up of millions of individual actions by people who do not think about the consequences.

Barbara Young, the agency's chief executive, said: "Some aspects of the UK's environment are improving. Air and water quality is better now than it has been for decades.

"The 20th century's peasouper smogs and toxic rivers are gone for good. But in some areas progress is slower. And some things are getting worse. If we all resolve to do something where we live for a healthier environment, then together we can make a difference."

One of the more serious and increasing local problems is flytipping, reported cases of which rose by 20% last year. The agency hotline for reporting fly tippers is 0800 807060.

The blackspots are Stratford, Harrow, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Rotherham, Bracknell, and Preston.

The worst air pollution is in Redcar and Middlesbrough, Cleveland; Blackpool, Lancashire; Thurrock, Kent; Southend, Essex; Brent, north Kensington, Bexley and Eltham, London; and Norwich, Norfolk.

Some of the agency's comments will make uncomfortable reading for ministers.

For example, it points out that aircraft contribute about 3.5% of the pollution that causes the greenhouse effect, and that if the polluter pays principle, which in theory is government policy, were applied, it would add £280 to the price of a return ticket to Australia.

Another area where government intervention and policies are still insufficient is farming methods and land use.

Sediments from soil erosion have harmed more than half the trout spawning beds in 51 river reaches in England, and farming practices are still damaging soil. Flooding, particularly muddy floods, are increasing because farmland is left bare of crops and grass.

The director of Friends of the Earth, Tony Juniper, said: "It is crucial that we all do what we can to improve the quality of our environment, but it is also important that business and the government take the agency's advice, too.

"Unfortunately, as the recent decision to massively expand British airports shows, environmental issues are frequently marginalised in order to promote outdated and unsustainable economic policies."