John’s Reflections on White Goods and Waste Safety (Inspired by listener John Crawford’s email about Episode 81 of Rubbish Talk) Some stories from the early days of waste management are sobering reminders of how far safety and regulation have come — and how hard-won those lessons were. Long-time listener and former guest John …
This week, Alasdair is joined by a very special guest — Samantha Riggs, a criminal barrister from 25 Bedford Row and one of the UK’s few legal specialists working almost exclusively in environmental and waste management law. Samantha has spent over a decade navigating the complexities of regulation, enforcement, and prosecution in the waste sector …
Rubbish Talk Episode 86: Waste Crime with Samantha Riggs Read More »
News Roundup Albion Environmental Wins UK Business of the Year – Investors in People (Gold) It’s celebration time! Albion Environmental has won UK Business of the Year: Gold (2–49 staff) at the 2025 Investors in People Awards — a recognition of the whole team’s commitment to learning, development, and quality. Alasdair and Mia headed …
Rubbish Talk Episode 85: The Waste Journey of Paper & Cardboard Read More »
This week, Alasdair and Jane tackle one of the biggest questions in Scotland’s circular economy: how much of our waste can we actually recycle and reprocess here at home? Based on a new Scottish Government Waste Reprocessing Capacity Report, they explore where Scotland is making progress — and where big gaps remain. From …
Rubbish Talk Episode 84: Waste Reprocessing Capacity in Scotland Read More »
News Roundup Landfill Ban Enforcement Paused (SEPA Temporary Approach) Scotland’s long-awaited landfill ban has been delayed once again, as SEPA introduces a temporary enforcement approach to give operators more time to comply. Under the new framework, landfill operators can apply for six-month extensions if they can prove there’s no viable alternative for disposal. Alasdair …
Rubbish Talk Episode 83: Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) Read More »
This week, Alasdair is joined by Amanda Young, an engineering PhD student at the University of the West of Scotland, who’s taking the fight to fly-tipping, quite literally — she’s a two-time ISKA world kickboxing champion! Amanda’s research focuses on the relationship between kerbside bulky-waste collections and fly-tipping across Scotland, digging into why so …
Rubbish Talk Episode 82: Fighting Fly-Tipping with Amanda Young Read More »
The announcement yesterday that the enforcement of the Biodegradable Landfill ban Purpose was being delayed until 1st January 2028, got me thinking about where the landfill ban journey started and that was back in 2010 with the publication of Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan. At the time this was an ambitious, forward thinking plan with …
Landfill Ban Delay till 2028 – Where It Went Wrong? Read More »
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 …
Rubbish Talk Episode 81: Fridge Recycling Waste Journey Read More »
(Inspired by an email from John Crawford, Rubbish Talk Listener and Guest on Episode 53) Every so often, one of our listeners takes us right back to the roots of waste collection — to the days when dustbins clanged, ash filled the air, and “health and safety” was a foreign concept. After tuning …
From Dustbins to Wheelie Bins: John’s Walk Down Memory Lane Read More »
News Roundup Renewables Overtake Coal as the World’s Top Power Source According to BBC News, renewable energy — mainly solar and wind — has overtaken coal as the world’s largest source of electricity for the first half of this year. While China and India lead the charge, richer nations like the US and EU …
Rubbish Talk Episode 80: What Happens To Your Food Waste? Read More »
