This week, Alasdair and Jane start with a listener shout-out!
A big thanks to Deborah Saxton from Saxton Consultancy, who got in touch after our AD episode to share news of a Spanish company developing food waste pre-treatment tech — sounds like a future guest in the making!
And our favourite confession of the week? Someone fell asleep listening to Rubbish Talk and woke up to Jane Googling the scientific name for mad cow disease. It still counts as a listen!
News Roundup
Turning Beach Waste into Footwear
A new BBC story highlights an entrepreneur who’s transforming discarded flip-flops into brand new sandals. He collects waste flip-flops from beaches across Southeast Asia and South America, using the plastic for soles of stylish new shoes made in Spain. Now an ambassador for a government loan scheme, he’s proving that sustainable startups and circular design can walk hand in hand.
Ashes on the Hills — A Different Kind of Waste
The John Muir Trust is calling for more respect in how people scatter ashes on mountains. Alasdair and Jane discussed how some hikers are leaving visible piles of ash on popular peaks — creating environmental and ethical dilemmas.
Fishing Nets to 3D Printing Filament
From the Cornish coast comes a great story of innovation: one man’s mission to turn discarded fishing nets into material for 3D printing, making everything from sunglasses to motorbike parts. In this Guardian feature, he calls it a “one-man recycling revolution”, and his micro-factory-in a container concept could scale globally.
A businesses in the South West are pushing back against the UK’s new EPR rules. According to the BBC, some firms say the new packaging tax will raise prices, but as Alasdair notes, “why should councils — and the public — pay for disposal when producers profit from the packaging?”. It’s a fair question. Whether the cost hits the checkout or the council bill, the shift could finally drive smarter packaging design.
Topic: Fridge Recycling Waste Journey
This week, Alasdair and Jane continued their waste journeys with one of the bulkiest and most complex household items — the humble fridge. Around 3 million fridges and freezers are discarded every year in the UK, which works out to an average lifespan of just nine years.
Fridges might look harmless, but they contain refrigerant gases like CFCs and HFCs, which have a global warming impact up to two tonnes of CO₂ per fridge. These gases sit not only in the cooling system but also in the insulating foam, which is why proper recycling is so important. When a fridge reaches the end of its life, it can be collected by the retailer, uplifted by the council, or taken to a Household Waste Recycling Centre before being sent to an authorised treatment plant such as GAP Alba in Perth.
At these facilities, fridges go through a careful dismantling process. The refrigerant gases and oils are first extracted from the compressor, which is then removed for recycling. The remaining shell is shredded in a sealed environment to prevent any gases escaping, while metals and plastics are separated for reuse. The insulating foam is turned into solid recovered fuel, and only a small fraction of the material becomes waste.
The key message? Whether it’s 9 old or 20, your fridge has a significant environmental footprint when it’s not handled correctly. So when it finally gives up, make sure it’s recycled through an approved facility.
Rubbish Rant: Roadside Litter Madness
This week’s rant turned to roadside rubbish after Jane spotted Transport Scotland’s new litter campaign on Facebook, highlighting the risks to road workers who have to collect discarded waste.
While Keep Scotland Beautiful and the Scottish Government’s new litter and fly-tipping action plan are trying to tackle the issue, Alasdair remains sceptical — there’s plenty of talk, but not much action.