News Roundup 🗞️
Fire at S Norton’s Glasgow East Facility
Another week, another fire — this time at S Norton’s Glasgow East site. Six fire appliances and a high-reach vehicle were called out on 10 September, though thankfully no one was injured. Alasdair points out that around four refuse collection vehicles catch fire every day in the UK, often due to lithium-ion batteries hidden in the waste stream. The message is clear: without stronger producer responsibility and safer systems, these dangerous fires will keep happening.
£500m Skelton Grange EfW Facility Opens in Leeds
Enfinium has officially opened its £500m Skelton Grange energy-from-waste plant, designed to process 410,000 tonnes of residual waste annually and generate 49 MW of electricity. Serving Leeds City Council and potentially beyond, the facility highlights the UK’s ongoing reliance on EfW capacity as landfill capacity tightens.
Dutch Waste Tax Hikes Risk ‘Waste Tourism’
The Netherlands is planning significant waste tax increases to raise €567m, but industry groups warn this could drive more cross-border “waste tourism.” Alasdair compares it to Scotland’s high landfill tax rates warning that large price gaps simply shift waste rather than solve the underlying issue.
John Lewis Highlights £29m EPR Costs
The John Lewis Partnership has added £29m to its costs this year to cover extended producer responsibility (EPR). Jane welcomes this as overdue accountability for retailers, while Alasdair admits his “grumpy old man” side is glad to see producers finally footing part of the bill. The challenge? Retailers may simply pass the cost on to consumers — unless packaging reduction becomes the priority.
Plastic Overshoot Day Arrives
Plastic Overshoot Day marks the point when global plastic waste generation surpasses the world’s capacity to manage it. For 2025, that’s 12 September, leaving 170 days’ worth of unmanaged plastic. With global generation at 28kg per person (and likely higher in the UK), packaging remains the biggest culprit at 33% of production.
Toxic Landfill Leachate Mixed with Sewage and Spread on Farms
A Guardian investigation raised alarms about landfill leachate being treated at sewage works, with sludge then spread on farmland. While the headline sounded dramatic, Alasdair explains this is longstanding practice: sewage sludge has fertiliser value, though concerns about microplastics and “forever chemicals” (PFAS) are real. The bigger issue? We need to tackle pollutants upstream rather than blame the last stage of the chain.
Topic: Landfill – The Last Resort?
We close our waste-hierarchy mini-series with Disposal: Landfill. Both Alasdair and Jane began their careers on landfill sites, so they take us from the early days to what’s changing now.
From holes to engineered facilities
In the late ’80s/early ’90s, most UK waste went straight to landfill. Impacts like leachate and gas migration pushed a shift to liners, leachate treatment, and active gas control. The 1986 Loscoe bungalow explosion made gas safety impossible to ignore. By the ’90s, the UK led in landfill engineering and gas-to-energy.
Two approaches
The UK built stabilised bioreactors (engineer and speed up degradation to shorten aftercare), while much of Europe favoured entombment (seal forever). The EU Landfill Directive (1999) forced higher standards and split sites into inert, non-hazardous, and hazardous (Scotland now has no hazardous sites; waste is exported south).
Operations & impacts
There’s no perfect weather: wind spreads litter, cold mornings carry odour, rain means mud and leachate, summer brings dust and flies. Good housekeeping keeps a site under control — well-run sites rarely see rats.
The tax that changed everything
Landfill tax was introduced in 1996 with the standard rate at £7 per tonne which has now risen to £103.70 per tonne in both England and Scotland. It successfully drove diversion to recycling and EfW — but also fuelled waste crime, as rogues undercut lawful disposal.
Capacity crunch
Landfill is still vital for certain waste streams. Scotland’s biodegradable landfill ban (Jan 2026) removes household/commercial biodegradables, but industry waste still needs outlets. With falling tonnages, some operators delay new lined cells, risking shortages. In remote areas, waste may travel hours to the nearest site, breaching the proximity principle.
Not all bad
Landfill gas-to-energy has been a major renewable source, and restored sites can become biodiverse greenspaces or even SSSIs. Some propose landfill mining or storing plastics in mono-cells for future recovery.
Public view vs reality
While many picture “a big smelly hole with flies,” a modern, engineered landfill with gas/leachate capture is far better than uncontrolled dumping or open burning — especially in the global context.
Key takeaway
Landfill is still needed, but only as the true last resort. By making reduce, reuse, recycle, recover work harder, we minimise what goes into the ground — and ensure future generations inherit fewer legacy problems.
Rubbish Rant: Coffee Cup Chaos at Edinburgh Airport ☕✈️
Alasdair’s latest rant was sparked by the bins at Edinburgh Airport. First, he spotted a “coffee cup only” bin stuffed with everything but cups. Worse still, a bin split into “residual” and “coffee cups” turned out to have just one bag inside — meaning it all went to residual anyway.
If we want the public to recycle, honesty is key. The UK bins 3.2 billion cups a year, costing councils £5.1m to deal with, while big brands contribute just £45k through the National Cup Recycling Scheme — a drop in the ocean. Add in public confusion (plastic iced coffee cups don’t belong in “coffee cup” bins), and the system starts to look more like PR than progress.
Jane shared a brighter note, trying a BorrowMyCup at Glasgow’s Transport Museum. If everyone in the UK reused a cup just once, that’s 69 million fewer disposables.
Key takeaway: Misleading bins and token funding won’t solve the problem. The real fix? Bring your own cup and reuse.
Get Moving: Join the Rubbish Talk Strava Club 🏃🏼➡️
The Rubbish Talk Strava club is the perfect way to stay motivated and explore new routes—whether you’re tackling mountain trails or just sneaking in a quick walk. Lace up your trainers, catch up on Rubbish Talk episodes and stay tuned for weekly leaderboard posts!
We’re on YouTube! 📽️
Prefer to watch rather than listen? Don’t forget that Rubbish Talk is also on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel to catch episodes, highlights, and exclusive video content.
We would love feedback from our listeners! 💬
We are always eager for guest suggestions, general feedback as well as spreading the word about Rubbish Talk to friends, family, colleagues and others to help us reach a wider audience.
Help us spread the word about the Rubbish Talk Podcast! 🗣️
Your support helps us reach a wider audience and continue to provide valuable content on waste management and sustainability.
Additionally, if you have any guest suggestions or topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes, we’d love to hear from you!
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your ideas and recommendations. Together, let’s make a positive impact in the waste management community. Thank you for your support!