Rubbish Talk

This week on Rubbish Talk, Jane and Alasdair return with another News Roundup, taking a closer look at two of the biggest topics currently facing the waste and resources sector: Digital Waste Tracking and CIWM's Think Again campaign. They also discuss the latest industry news, from nitrous oxide canisters and vape recycling to the Tartan Army's tidy reputation.    Digital Waste Tracking – ...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Katie Morrison, founder of What Waste Code, to discuss waste classification, compliance, digital innovation, and making it easier for businesses to find the right recycling and disposal routes. Drawing on her experience as a former Environment Agency officer, compliance manager and waste consultant, Katie shares how her career has taken her from inv...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Stephen Cameron, Managing Director at Change Waste Recycling, to discuss business growth, source-segregated recycling, food waste, and the challenges of getting people to use existing waste systems properly. Stephen shares his journey into the waste sector, which began after the 2008 financial crash when he joined a small waste business on a short-t...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Dr Anna Willetts, Partner at Gunnercooke, environmental criminal lawyer, and Immediate Past President of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM). With over 15 years of experience advising businesses on environmental compliance and enforcement, Anna brings a unique combination of legal expertise, a PhD in landfill engineering, and exper...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Jane and Alasdair return with another packed news roundup, focusing on one of the waste sector's biggest ongoing challenges: vapes and lithium batteries . They discuss the impact of the disposable vape ban one year on, proposals for a £5 vape deposit scheme, and the worrying rise in fires linked to e-cigarettes despite increased awareness campaigns. The conversation...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Solomon Ede, Senior Enforcement Officer at West Lothian Council and Scottish Executive Representative for LARAC (Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee). Solomon shares his journey into the waste sector, from working in Ghana to helping shape waste and recycling discussions across Scotland. Drawing on experiences from two very different waste...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Connor Benton and Serena Powell from Go4Greener, a Derby-based hazardous waste company specialising in everything from commodity recycling and WEEE to hazardous waste treatment and innovative new technologies. The conversation explores the wide range of activities carried out at Go4Greener, including hazardous waste handling, WEEE dismantling, and t...

News Roundup  Simpler Recycling: More Headlines, More Confusion   Simpler Recycling continues to generate some questionable headlines, with articles listing items “banned” from recycling — many of which were never recyclable in the first place. Alasdair and Jane question why the messaging is so negative, instead of focusing on education, clearer guidance and the benefits of getting recycling right...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Tina Jackson, founder of Comply Digital, Jackson Consultants, and the Technically Competent Managers (TCM) Forum, for a fascinating conversation about compliance, confidence, and building better collaboration across the waste sector. Tina shares how she originally entered the industry through a commercial role in landfill and recycling after working...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Henrik Webster, CEO of Aspect Labs Ltd, to explore the often-overlooked relationship between the waste sector and insurance — particularly the growing challenges around fires, lithium-ion batteries, and risk management. Henrik shares his journey into insurance, starting in reinsurance back in 2013 before moving into the recycling insurance space. Af...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Aaron McIntyre, Managing Director of AWD Environmental Ltd, to dive into the world of hazardous waste, entrepreneurship, and building a business in the waste sector. Aaron shares his journey into waste, which began in a somewhat unexpected way. Starting out in a science role working with chemicals in a lab, he moved into hazardous waste during a per...

This week on Rubbish Talk, we do something long overdue — shining a spotlight on one of our own. Alasdair is joined by Kirstie MacDougall, Office & Training / VQ Administrator at Albion Environmental, to explore the world of waste training, qualifications, and what really goes on behind the scenes. Kirstie shares her journey into the sector, having joined Albion over seven years ago from a fin...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Henry Mathias, Chair of the Tranent Wombles — a volunteer-led litter picking group set up during lockdown that has gone on to make a huge impact in their local community. Henry shares how the group began in 2020, when people were looking for safe ways to get outside and do something positive. What started as a simple Facebook group quickly grew into...

After a run of guest episodes and milestone celebrations,Jane and Alasdair are back together for a packed news round-up — and there’s plenty to get through.   News Roundup Taxpayers to fund clear-up of huge illegal waste dumps Huge illegal waste sites across England — including Kidlington and others — are set to cost millions to clear , all funded by the public. Jane highlights the frustration tha...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Heather McLaughlin, Campaigns and Social Innovation Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) — a long overdue guest given how often litter and fly-tipping come up on the podcast! Heather shares her journey into the sector, starting with a background in biology before finding her way into waste through a short-term project knocking on doors to unders...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair is joined by Victoria Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Probe Industries Ltd — a family-run business specialising in odour and dust control across the waste and water sectors. Victoria shares her journey into the industry, which started unexpectedly when she stepped in to help the family business before university. What began as a short-term role quickly turned...

After a run of brilliant student episodes and celebratingour 100th milestone, the news has been quietly piling up… so this week, Jane and Alasdair dive into a much-needed news special .   News Government urges councils to seize and crush fly-tippers’vehicles With 1.26 million incidents recorded, this feels like a step in the right direction. Jane highlights the huge cost to councils, while Alasdai...

Last week we explored the early history of waste management in Scotland, from the early 1900s through to the 1970s. In Episode 101, Jane and Alasdair pick up the story from the 1980s onwards, looking at how regulation, technology and policy shaped the modern waste sector we know today. The 1980s marked a period of major change. The sector was still heavily reliant on landfill, but environmental aw...

We’ve reached Episode 100 of Rubbish Talk — although technically it’s even more once you include our pilot and special episodes! Across those recordings we’ve had 77 guests, over 100 hours of conversation, and listeners from 73 countries around the world. Thank you to everyone who has supported the podcast along the way.   To mark the milestone, Jane and Alasdair take a step back to explore 100 ye...

This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair and Jane are joined once again by students from the University of Edinburgh’s MSc programmes — and this time, we feature two powerful student-created podcasts as part of their Resource Recovery and Circular Economy coursework Cate Satoris, an MSc Environment & Development student originally from North Dakota, explores single-use plastic habits in UK supermar...

This week’s episode is a little different as Alasdair and Jane hand the mic over to two MSc students linked to the University of Edinburgh and SRUC, showcasing podcasts they created as part of their Resource Recovery and Circular Economy module.   With Episode 100 fast approaching, it feels fitting to highlight the next generation of waste professionals already thinking critically about the future...

News Roundup GAP Group launches UK-wide insulation panel recycling service GAP Group has announced a new UK-wide service to recycle insulation panels, helping tackle materials that have historically been difficult to manage at end of life. The discussion links back to Episode 39 , highlighting how specialist treatment is important as construction and demolition waste grows more complex. Enva to op...

This week, Alasdair and Jane take a deep dive into what happens when a car reaches the end of the road. With around 1–2 million end-of-life vehicles scrapped in the UK each year, it’s a massive waste stream — and it’s becoming even more complex as modern vehicles contain more plastics, electronics, composites, and hazardous components than ever before.  They explain that scrapping a vehicle isn’t ...

News Roundup Illegal Waste Sites Still Spreading – Including “Super Sites” Hundreds of illegal waste tips are reportedly operating across England, including 11 large-scale “super sites”. It’s another reminder that waste crime isn’t small-scale littering — it can be industrial, organised, and extremely damaging. Illegal Waste Dump Linked to King’s Estate Land One of the UK’s worst illegal waste dum...

News Roundup Court rejects Biffa’s £51.4m DRS claim   The Court of Session has rejected Biffa’s £51.4 million claim against the Scottish Government over the delayed DRS, ruling that ministers did not negligently mislead the company. While Biffa had already invested heavily in vehicles and infrastructure, the judgment suggests the company took a commercial risk. Alasdair suspects this may not be th...