What Happens To My Household Waste?
What Happens To My Household Waste?
Households in the UK produce a significant amount of waste, with over 28 million tonnes generated in a single year. While you may not enjoy making trips to the bin, have you ever considered what happens to your household waste after it is collected? Here’s a closer look at the journey of your rubbish.
Where Does My Rubbish Go?
Once your waste is collected by the local council or a waste management company, it typically ends up in one of three places:
Landfill – Government statistics indicate that in 2021/22, 8.1% of all local authority waste (2.1 million tonnes) was sent to landfill, which marks a slight increase from the previous year. Waste decomposing in landfills produces greenhouse gases, prompting the government to set a target of recycling 65% of municipal waste by 2035 to minimise landfill contributions.
Incineration – Nearly half of UK councils employ incineration as a waste disposal method. However, this approach is contentious due to the toxic emissions produced, which contribute to air pollution.
Recycling Facility – Recycling stands out as the most effective waste management option, barring the practice of avoiding waste generation altogether. At recycling facilities, your waste is processed and transformed into new materials or products.
Before your rubbish is sent to any of these destinations, it undergoes a pre-treatment process.
Why Is Rubbish Pre-Treated?
Before reaching landfills, incinerators, or recycling plants, waste is typically pre-treated through physical, thermal, chemical, or biological processes. This pre-treatment serves several important purposes:
To mitigate hazards
To reduce the waste's volume
To simplify handling
To facilitate the recovery of usable materials
What Occurs at a Treatment Facility?
Upon arriving at a treatment facility, the waste is first sorted to eliminate hazardous items and materials that could obstruct machinery. Then, it is shredded or ground.
The waste is screened, allowing for the separation of organic and inorganic materials. Organic waste is either composted or processed through anaerobic digestion, resulting in a material that can be utilised as fertiliser.
Inorganic materials undergo further sorting, shredding, grinding, and heating before being separated into recyclable and non-recyclable categories. Recyclable materials are sent to recycling facilities, where they are transformed into new products such as plastic bottles, clothing, furniture, and building supplies.
Non-recyclables, on the other hand, are directed to landfills or incineration plants.
Now that you understand the fate of your rubbish, you may feel inspired to minimise your waste wherever possible. Preventing waste at its source is an even more effective strategy than recycling.