How do councils provide us with information?
If our rubbish is being disposed of correctly, why is British waste abroad?
Not all councils follow the same procedure of rubbish disposal.
Councils dispose of rubbish differently. This can cause confusion and uncertainty in knowing where our rubbish goes.
“A lot of what happens depends on your local council, though there are certain standard practices. Not all councils perform all these steps.” [1].
Councils need to provide information about where our rubbish goes, and to provide evidence to support that information.
Ceredigion County Council lacks information...
During our research, one team member contacted Ceredigion Council regarding how the council dispose of our rubbish. The reply given was a link to a website the council readily provides to the public. Rather than providing information such as links, numbers, and locations, the website offers more of an education on how certain types of waste are disposed of. One video from the website is a one-minute lesson on Anaerobic Digestion. The video educates the viewer on the process of rubbish disposal. Although it somewhat answers the question of ‘what happens to our rubbish?’, it fails to provide evidence of how much of our rubbish goes through these processes and where they take place. The information provided by the council is limited without evidential support.
“Most of the non-recyclable waste collected in your black bags now goes to an energy from waste facility to be treated instead of going to a landfill site.” [2].
The council uses the word ‘most’, which leaves us to determine the sum of most. Another issue with the information provided is that we are being told that the waste is going to an energy from waste facility. Well, that is good to know, but which facility are they referring to? The council have created a very superficial website that provides limited detail. Although it tells us some locations that certain types of rubbish are sent to, it fails to support the claims made. When contacting the council, they were unable to provide any more information.
West London Council is doing it right!
Various councils have different procedures and provide information differently. West London Council also provides a website with some key differences between the Ceredigion Council websites. The West London website provides broader information and includes important evidence to make the viewer feel satisfied with the information provided. It also allows the viewer to do further research.
[3] A screenshot of the West London Council website.
On the left-hand side of the webpage, there is a list, and in the centre there are pink bullet points. These are all links to further information including locations, company names, and figures. The website also provides a lot more in-text information which is more helpful compared to the Ceredigion website:
“Around 96% of west London’s rubbish is sent to generate energy at two Energy Recovery Facilities (ERFs). Most are sent to the Severnside Energy Recovery Centre (SERC) located beside the river Severn just north of Bristol.
The facility is part of the Authority’s Residual Waste Services Public-Private Partnership Contract with SUEZ UK Limited. The facility can treat 400,000 tonnes of rubbish and has its bottom ash treatment plant to turn the ash into an aggregate with a recognised end product status for use in construction projects.” [4].
In comparison with the Ceredigion website, the West London Council includes figures, names of companies, and accurate locations. This proves more reliable as the reader can research and check the companies’ websites to ensure the information is accurate.
Unwanted Garbage in Asia
There is contradicting evidence to support that our rubbish does not get disposed of correctly. An article from The Guardian provides us with some information regarding this. Countries have complained that British, American, Canadian, and Australian rubbish ends up on their land.
“The present dumping ground of choice in Malaysia. In October last year, a Greenpeace Unearthed investigation found mountains of British and European waste in illegal dumps there.” [5].
If councils were disposing of rubbish correctly, there would be no need for mountains of rubbish ending up in South-East Asia. Another article shows us that South-East Asian countries have threatened to send the rubbish back.
“ A pushback is beginning, as nations across south-east Asia vow to send the garbage back to where it came from.” [6].
This gives us an idea of how severe the problem must be.
We need change...
The United Kingdom should make legalisations for every council to follow to ensure these problems are limited. It would also be useful if every council had to provide the public with information on where our rubbish goes. This is important, as people will understand the impact our rubbish has on the environment. With the development of understanding, the public may take extra care and dispose of rubbish correctly.
[1] Nolan, S., (2016). What Happens to Our Rubbish? Available at: <https://www.wheeliebinstoragedirect.co.uk/what-happens-to-our-rubbish/> (Accessed: 8 March 2021).
[2] Ceredigion County Council (2021). What Happens to My Waste? Available at: <http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/resident/bins-recycling/what-happens-to-my-waste/> (Accessed: 8 March 2021).
[3] West London Waste (2021). Screenshot of Webpage. [Image] Available at: https://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/about-us/where-your-waste-goes/ (Accessed: 8 March 2021).
[4] West London Waste (2021). Where your waste goes. Available at: <https://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/about-us/where-your-waste-goes/> (Accessed: 8 March 2021).
[5] Franklin-Wallis, O., (2019). ‘'Plastic recycling is a myth': what really happens to your rubbish?’. The Guardian. 17 August. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/17/plastic-recycling-myth-what-really-happens-your-rubbish> (Accessed: 8 March 2021).
[6] Ellis-Petersen, E. (2019). ‘Treated like trash: south-east Asia vows to return mountains of rubbish from west’. The Guardian. 28 May. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/28/treated-like-trash-south-east-asia-vows-to-return-mountains-of-rubbish-from-west> (Accessed: 8 March 2021).
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