UK recycling in chaos

Del.Monte

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/26/revealed-really-goes-recycling-rubbish-behind-scenes/

Sorry, the rest of the story is behind a pay wall but a more detailed account of the investigation may be read here: https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2019/06/26/recycling-incineration-waste-undercover-working-conditions-london/

I'm sure something that goes on in Britain could never happen here - or could it?

What's your experience?

guil

All it will do is lead to a much higher cost to the customer.

two wheels good

So much of our waste is going abroad I wouldn't be surprised if it's part of the "chaos" in the UK.

I notice the article mentions illegal importation of waste to Malaysia.
Since China shut the doors on importation of plastic SE Asian countries are suffering the consequences.

"In the four months since the [Chinese ] ban came into force waste being exported to Malaysia more than trebled, making it the main destination for British plastics.
Exports to Vietnam increased by 50 per cent, while the amount sent to Thailand shot up fifty-fold."
Independent link

"Malaysia has said it will send back some 3,000 metric tonnes of non-recyclable plastic waste to countries including the UK, US, Canada and Australia, in a move to avoid becoming a dumping ground for rich nations.

Environment minister Yeo Bee Yin said 60 containers stacked with contaminated waste had been smuggled into illegal processing facilities in Malaysia."
Examiner link

Guardian
"Thailand, with its lax environmental laws, has become a dumping ground for this e-waste over the past six months, but authorities are clamping down, fearful that the country will become the “rubbish dump of the world”. The global implications could be enormous.
Thai customs officers are now pushing back 20 containers of e-waste a day that are landing in Thai ports, and in the next two months the government plans to pass legislation to bans foreign e-waste and plastic waste from entering Thailand."

But hey, on the plus side .. my local Lidl has installed recycling bins for plastics and paper at the checkouts. So that's fine; no need to avoid the mushrooms in plastic trays any longer.

[Edit] That was my pathetic attempt at frustrated irony - or ironic frustration. I'm still not buying mushrooms in bloody plastic tray.
Despite Repak's encouragement to "Let's all recycle one extra piece of plastic" That's their pathetic response to a climate emergency.

BeckiB

All recycling is a big con, Councils don't do it for the environment they do it because private waste disposal firms pay them for the waste which they go on to make a profit from. Now that China is rejecting foreign waste and as a result the resale value of most waste has dropped so it is no longer profitable, it will be interesting to see how many Councils continue with the recycling charade or will they just quietly drop it.

The biggest recycling cons of all -

Paper & cardboard - no one is shipping the rain forest to Europe to make paper. All paper is made from huge man made forests in Northern European countries like Norway which are constantly replenished. The chemicals used to to recycle paper are more harmful to the environment than the original manufacturing process. Paper rots naturally and does not contaminate the environment when disposed of.

Glass - made from sand. Unless I'm missing something there is an infinite supply of sand to make new glass so no need whatsoever to recycle. Glass doesn't rot but is totally inert and doesn't contaminate when disposed of. If they were really interested in being green they would reintroduce the system of the 60's and 70's and pay people a few pence to return their empty bottles for washing and re-filling. But no they are only interested in you paying them.

Del.Monte

I think the councils are obliged by law to provide recycling facilities. As for the council being paid by private companies I should imagine that it's the council that pays for the recyclables to be removed from their centres.

Spook_ie

https://www.mywaste.ie/what-to-do-with/polystyrene/

One of the most recyclable plastics is EPS, yet you will find it hard to actually get any of the recyclers to take it.

Del.Monte

A strange website, it took me a few minutes to establish that's it's an official government site.

Spook_ie

Ireland itself is chaotic regarding recycling, government website says put it into general waste i.e landfill/incinerator but http://www.rehabrecycle.ie/recycling-services/paper-occ-eps say they'll take it.

Del.Monte

Spook_ie wrote: »

Ireland itself is chaotic regarding recycling, government website says put it into general waste i.e landfill/incinerator but http://www.rehabrecycle.ie/recycling-services/paper-occ-eps say they'll take it.

That's mad stuff altogether but I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised. Which Minister is responsible for all this sort of thing?

two wheels good

BeckiB wrote: »

All recycling is a big con, Councils don't do it for the environment they do it because private waste disposal firms pay them for the waste which they go on to make a profit from. Now that China is rejecting foreign waste and as a result the resale value of most waste has dropped so it is no longer profitable, it will be interesting to see how many Councils continue with the recycling charade or will they just quietly drop it.

The biggest recycling cons of all -

Paper & cardboard - no one is shipping the rain forest to Europe to make paper. All paper is made from huge man made forests in Northern European countries like Norway which are constantly replenished. The chemicals used to to recycle paper are more harmful to the environment than the original manufacturing process. Paper rots naturally and does not contaminate the environment when disposed of.

Glass - made from sand. Unless I'm missing something there is an infinite supply of sand to make new glass so no need whatsoever to recycle. Glass doesn't rot but is totally inert and doesn't contaminate when disposed of. If they were really interested in being green they would reintroduce the system of the 60's and 70's and pay people a few pence to return their empty bottles for washing and re-filling. But no they are only interested in you paying them.

I can't understand how you believe all recycling is con.
Recycling is of great benefit to the environment. If that doesn't persuade you then consider the savings on the cost of landfill to the public.

Metal materials are certainly valuable, alu especially. So is good quality - and clean - plastics.
Recyling plastics reduces the consumption of natural resources.
Recycled paper is again profitable - just. Some years there was a glut.
Even when the contents of a green bin ends up in a cement kiln it's replacing imported fossil fuels.

No one claims recycling paper directly saves the rainforest. Valuable hard-woods wouldn't be pulped or chipped.

I agree entirely about a deposit-return scheme. (That was a proposal that Phil Hogan rejected when he was a minister.)
Back in the day the bottle return scheme was run by breweries and soft drinks producers - and dairies of course. It wasn't an official govt. scheme