Margaret Bates, professor of sustainable waste management at the University of Northampton, allowed the BBC go through her rubbish, weigh it out and chart its journeys from her home to various points near and very far. The results are revealing.
After it is collected, Margaret Bates’ waste is sent to firms which specialise in different types of waste before it is either sold on or turned into new products. This graphic shows some of the detail:
There is a lot of data in this article, but it will not apply directly to you, unless you live near to Margaret in Northants. Your local authority will have the detail. Why not ask?
Meanwhile, in relation to the national picture, Defra said England’s household waste rose 180,000 tonnes between 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, and a Defra official told the BBC:
“Waste going to landfill fell by 20 per cent in 2014-2015 and the total amount of all waste recycled was up by 1.3%. This reflects hard work by local authorities and a desire from people to recycle more.”
We’d best carry on …