How is Waste Disposed of: A Guide to Waste Disposal in the UK

While we strive to recycle as much as possible, unfortunately there is waste that we simply cannot. Some of these nonrecyclables include plastic bags, polystyrene cups, and disposable nappies. Typically, we sort our waste into separate categories, these are generally plastics, metals, and glass in one bin; paper and cardboard in another and garden waste also has its own separate bin.

By sorting all these different categories we should be left with a household waste that contains mostly food as well as these non-recyclables, thus minimizing the amount that ends up at landfill.

Here at Great Western Recycling, we are experts in waste management, in this article will address what happens to nonrecyclable waste once it has been taken away and outline the benefits available today to help our planet become more environmentally friendly.

What Is Landfill and Why Is It So Bad

In 2020, it is estimated 6 billion tonnes of waste was sent to landfill in the UK. (source) Landfill is the process of burying biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) and covering it with soil to decompose.

One of the key limitations with landfill disposal is space. Landfill sites take up huge open spaces and are very costly to maintain. Regulations for landfill often prevent building or development near a landfill site. This means we are quickly running out of space and it is becoming increasingly more expensive.

Moreover, landfill produces gases and liquids including methane and leachate that are incredibly toxic for the environment as they heavily contribute to greenhouse gasses. As Earth’s population rises, so does our waste consumption, meaning the devastating consequences that landfill has on the environment will increase if we continue to use them the way that we do. It is time for change.

Since 2011, the UK Government has imposed rules for the limits of the total tonnage which can be sent to landfill year on year.

Energy Recovery from Waste

Energy recovery from waste is the conversion of non-recyclable waste materials into usable heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes, including:

Combustion
Gasification
Pyritization
Anaerobic digestion
Landfill gas recovery

Energy recovery from the combustion of municipal solid waste is a key part of the non-hazardous waste management hierarchy, which ranks various management strategies from most to least environmentally preferred.

Learn more about the waste management hierarchy >

Energy recovery ranks below source reduction and recycling/reuse but above treatment and disposal. Confined and controlled burning, known as combustion, can not only decrease the volume of solid waste destined for landfills, but can also recover energy from the waste burning process.

Waste Incineration of Non-recyclable Refuse

Waste incineration is the process of burning waste in incinerators to make electricity (or ‘Energy from Waste’), has been touted as key to reducing the carbon emissions from waste treatment in the future. In recent years it’s been pushed as an alternative to sending waste – especially plastic waste – to landfill.

As well as reducing what we send to landfill sites, which are becoming increasingly full, it would have the added effect of reducing the need to burn fossil fuels in conventional power plants. This has led to a number of local authorities in the UK ramping up the construction of such facilities.

What are the Benefits of Waste Recovery

There’s a lot to consider when weighing up the ‘green credentials’ of any waste solution. After reduce, reuse, and recycle, recovery of value from waste is considered the most sustainable option. Recovery of energy from waste has many benefits:

It diverts the maximum amount of waste from landfill, and the consequent generation and emission of landfill gas which is over 21 times more effective at trapping heat within the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
It safely manages waste that cannot be readily recycled.
It generates energy in the form of electricity and heat.
It increases local energy supply – adding to the UK’s energy security.
It generates renewable energy, contributing to the UK’s renewable energy targets. Around 50% of the energy generated may be classed as renewable due to the amount of biogenic (plant-based) feedstock.

What are the Disadvantages of Waste Incineration?

On the other hand, however, electricity generation at incinerators will soon become closer in carbon intensity to coal and gas than to wind and solar. This is because increasing the proportion of hard-to-recycle plastic waste sent to incinerators will increase the carbon impacts of incineration. Plastic is derived from crude oil and the carbon is released when burnt. So, while the electricity grid should be decarbonising as a result of more renewable energy sources coming online, electricity produced at the incinerator could become a major climate issue.

At Great Western Recycling, we sort through all the waste that we collect, ensuring plastics are recycled and only the nonrecyclables are incinerated.

While there are some oppositions to incineration for environmental concerns, the benefits of using them far outstrip the disadvantages due to the lack of methane that is produced.

Zero to Landfill Waste Management with Great Western Recycling

Here at Great Western Recycling, we pride ourselves on the fact that our general waste bin collections never go to landfill sites, so you can be sure your non-recyclable waste is being managed in the most sustainable way possible.

Based in Bristol, our services are available all over the UK, transporting your waste in a cost-effective manner that’s easy to execute while being a good way of taking the steps towards a greener planet – the best of both worlds!

Discover more about the locations we cover >

Upon collection, we send all of the refuse to a materials recovery facility where anything that doesn’t get recovered will undergo thermal processing to generate green electricity that is then pumped directly back into the national grid.

If your business, office, household or any other major waste producing industry want to take the steps to achieving a cleaner future, get in touch with one of our friendly advisors today.