September 5, 2024

What Happens to Your Waste After You Throw It Away?

In the UK, there is an attitude that once our waste is out of sight, that it is out of mind. This is true for households and businesses alike. But for those who work in the waste sector, it’s just the beginning of a long and complicated journey that makes a difference to our planet. In this article, we will discuss what happens to the 222.2 million tonnes of rubbish the UK produces annually so that we can all make more informed choices about what happens to our waste.

Before we start, it is worth addressing a misconception that when we talk about recycling – we are not just talking about household waste. Household waste makes up a comparatively small part of waste management. Household waste makes up 12% and commercial and industrial waste makes up around 19% of total waste generation. So this applies to businesses as much as households. We need to be considerate of how we manage our waste everywhere – and for businesses this can become more complicated than at home. If you need tailored advice about your waste management options – get in contact for free personalized advice from one of our experts.

Landfill: 41 Million Tonnes Annually

Pros:

Keeps non-recyclable waste from contaminating recycling streams.
New regulations help reduce environmental impacts.

Cons:

Releases harmful greenhouse gases like methane and CO2, contributing to climate change.
Potential to pollute groundwater and surrounding soil.
Landfill space is limited and can reduce fertile land to wasteland.

In 2022, 41 million tonnes of waste were sent to landfill in the UK, a 6.3% decrease compared to 2018 (GOV.UK, 2022). While landfill provides a solution for non-recyclable waste, it comes with significant environmental risks. Greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide are generated as waste decomposes, contributing to global warming. Additionally, landfill sites can leach harmful chemicals into the groundwater, polluting local water supplies. However, thanks to improved technology—like membranes to prevent soil contamination and gas tapping systems—the UK aims to reduce landfill use to just 10% of all waste by 2035 (GOV.UK, 2024).

Incineration: 17.1 Million Tonnes Annually

Pros:

Reduces waste volume by up to 95%.
Energy recovery from incineration can power homes and businesses.

Cons:

High initial costs to build energy-generating incineration plants.
While emissions have improved, some harmful gases are still released.
Burning waste can eliminate materials that could have been recycled.

Incineration, both with and without energy recovery, accounted for 17.1 million tonnes of waste in 2022—nearly half of landfill levels and up by 20% since 2018 (GOV.UK, 2022). Incineration significantly reduces the volume of waste, with up to 95% less bulk (Sciencing, 2024). When coupled with energy recovery, it can also be a useful way to power homes and businesses, giving waste a second life (Greentumble, 2018). However, setting up these plants requires major investment, and despite emission improvements, there’s still some release of toxic gases. The destruction of potentially recyclable materials also raises concerns about sustainability in the long term (Greentumble, 2024).

Recycling: 98.8 Million Tonnes Annually

Pros:

Supports the circular economy by reusing valuable materials.
Reduces the need to extract new resources, protecting natural landscapes.
Can reduce costs associated with waste disposal and resource harvesting.

Cons:

Public engagement with recycling remains low.
Initial infrastructure and collection costs are high.
Recycled materials can be of lower quality, limiting their reuse.

In 2022, 98.8 million tonnes of waste were recycled in England—a 2.3% increase from 2018 (GOV.UK, 2022). Recycling is a key pillar in maintaining a circular economy, helping to protect natural resources and reduce the need for fresh material extraction (RecycleZone, 2020). It also cuts down on waste disposal costs. However, recycling still faces challenges: public participation is not as widespread as it could be, start-up costs for infrastructure are high, and sometimes the quality of recycled materials isn’t as high as their original counterparts (RecycleZone, 2020).

Littering: Over 30 Million Tonnes Annually

Pros:

None.

Cons:

Poses significant risks to wildlife, with the RSPCA receiving 10+ calls a day about animals harmed by litter.
Litter ends up in natural habitats, particularly beaches and oceans.
Linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and crime in local communities.

Littering remains a costly issue in the UK, with over 2 million pieces of litter dropped daily, leading to more than £1 billion in taxpayer costs annually (Keep Britain Tidy, 2024). The environmental impacts are severe—ranging from pollution of beaches and oceans, especially in regions like Cornwall and Devon (Nelms et al., 2017), to harming wildlife. The RSPCA receives over 10 calls daily about animals injured by litter, including plastic waste and discarded containers (RSPCA, 2024). Beyond environmental damage, littering is also associated with negative mental health outcomes, like increased anxiety and depression (Cooper, 2008), and can even lead to a rise in crime rates in heavily littered areas (Keep Britain Tidy, 2024). It’s clear that education and community action are key to tackling this ongoing issue.

Conclusion

Managing the UK’s 220 million tonnes of annual waste is no simple task. Each method—landfill, incineration, recycling — has its own set of advantages and challenges. While landfill and incineration deal with non-recyclable waste, they come with environmental risks. Recycling offers a more sustainable option but faces barriers like infrastructure costs and public participation.

To make progress, we need smarter regulations, better public awareness, and more investment in recycling technology. Both businesses and individuals play a vital role in reducing waste and building a more sustainable future.

Sources:

Impacts on health of emissions from landfill sites (2024) GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/landfill-sites-impact-on-health-from-emissions/impacts-on-health-of-emissions-from-landfill-sites (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

GOV.UK (2022) UK statistics on waste. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data/uk-statistics-on-waste (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

Litter & the law | Keep Britain Tidy (2024). Available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/faqs/advice/litter-and-law (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

Litter and Animals – Preventing injury from rubbish | RSPCA – RSPCA – rspca.org.uk (2024) RSPCA. Available at: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/litter (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

Cooper, R. B. C. C. R. (2008) Mental Capital and Well-being: Making the Most of Ourselves in the 21st Century. State-of-Science Review: S2-DR2. The effect of the Physical Environment on Mental Well-being

Nelms, S. et al. (2017) ‘Marine anthropogenic litter on British beaches: A 10-year nationwide assessment using citizen science data’, Science of The Total Environment, 579, pp. 1399–1409. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.137.

RecycleZone (2020) ‘The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Recycling Waste | RecycleZone’, 23 July. Available at: https://www.recyclezone.org.uk/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-recycling-waste/ (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

Greentumble (2018) ‘Waste Incineration: Advantages & Disadvantages | Greentumble’, 2 August. Available at: https://greentumble.com/waste-incineration-advantages-and-disadvantages (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

Sciencing (2024) Available at: https://sciencing.com/advantages-solid-waste-incinerator-8367212.html

GOV.UK (2022) UK statistics on waste. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data/uk-statistics-on-waste (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

Department for environment Food and Rural affairs – UK statistics on waste