Why we're burning our recycling | It's Complicated 

We will never be able to eliminate waste entirely, but the solution to this has to begin with reducing the amount of waste we produce enormously, and regulate the types of waste produced

The simple solution coming from 22 years in the waste and recycling Industry I'd simply buy less or buy what you need. Reduce. Unfortunately there is too much packaging. Also a simple universal waste collection scheme would be better i.e the same collection method across the UK. One bin for refuse one bin for recycling and one bin for all organics.

It should be illegal to mass produce non-recyclable products, under penalty of revocation of corporate charter. All companies should be fully responsible for their actions.

IMO, all Manufacturers use the Cheapest form of Containers/Packaging...to Make More Money...period! It's NOT our fault that they choose to use Plastic...it's the manufacturers Fault! THEY DECIDE too use Plastic vs any Alternative Packaging material...NOT US!

Governments just need to gradually ban plastic packaging. It s not the consumer's responsibility. We managed before plastic, we still can.

Me mum forgot her 'green ' grocery bag, and came back home to retrieve it. When she got home, I unloaded the bags-- nothing but plastic. The meat was in plastic, as were the potatoes, apples, veggies, frozen food, medicine, ect, ect.

Recyclable plastic can only be recycled a few times so it’s not really viable. So It just gets burned while most people don’t know. they could still use the money of their company to actually recycle it, but they won’t. They use more money to advertise that recycling is real then to actually recycle it. That way their profits are kept stable, and people will keep buying it thinking that they aren’t doing anything to the enviroment. It’s all about image and profit. Those are the basics of every company especially those who are primary causes of pollution.

What about high temperature incinerators? The ones that break down the dangerous byproduct gases?

Recycling is not enough. The biggest problem is the programmed obsole$cence which causes overproduction and then substantially increase environmental pollution.

So, holier than thou Sadik Khan plans to increase the ulez zone upto the M25, but London is one of the worst at correctly recycling plastic waste, thereby increasing C02 emissions anyway.

The government should just make it mandatory for plastic packaging to be recyclable plastic. I guarantee that big business will find a way to apply.

Same thing is happening in Canada though no one talks about it especially the media. The collection of trash is a new way of creating taxes by local city councils.

Standardize reuseable glass containers. Stop most plastic production. Recycle paper. Recycle all batteries. Compost compatable waste more into areas that grow trees for paper production after many deaceds of tree growth.

no more packaging; EVER!

Why do they always try to blame people? We buy our products in the containers they put it in .

Burning is better than putting rubbish into land fill.

I think you are wrong .. the main stem problem is Single Use Plastics thus the solution should be eliminating single use plastics (SUPs), strick EPR on plastics, and moving toward Zero Waste Economy (i.e Refill, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, Rot,Redesign, etc - economy) .. which alot of grassroot movement and business already taking a lead in several parts of the world. A decent journalist should have known that. Ref : BFFP(BreakFreeFromPlastic), GAIA , etc

What’s the song name for the song playing at 3:52?

They need to bring the no single use plastic laws forward.

Not complicared, just economics. Glas, concrete, wood, paper, metals are recycled because it saves money and energy. Recycling doesn't need to be regulated or subsidised when it makes sense. Same for ekectricity generation, coal, gas and Nuclear don't need subsidies only expensive unreliables like solar and wind do.

Thanks for informing 🙏🏼👍🏼👍🏼

the Fashion industry should lead from the front and complety cease all types of new fashion. Any one who throws out anything that could be used is not environmentally friendly. But then we all like to think we are doing our little bit: which is token.

Thank you 🙏

Les gouvernements sont trop lâches pour légiférer sur les emballages.

This is a mashup by Axis of Awesome

North Augusta, South Carolina burned down the recycling center.

So does this mean burning waste causes less emissions than landfill?

CO2 emissions are not that big of a problem, because they will end up being consumed by plants eventually, and are turned to plant mass. We could even have transitioned to "green"/nuclear energy without restrictions for coal/oil/gas industries without much problems for ecology, despite what those ecofanatics say. This however isn't true for methane, since it's not being consumed by plants and will stay in atmosphere for a long time

If you stop incinerate then where did the trash will go?

I have a solution! First we go back to metal, wood and glass. As was done prior to mass plastic usage. Only have plastics for medical/emergency use. Or only where absolutely needed. Supermarkets should sell out of bulk bins as much as possible. With customers bringing their own reusable bags/containers. Would reduce food waste as well- Only buy what's needed. Developed countries waste too much food. Create a Space Elevator to send garbage to the Sun. Sling shot the garbage bales, with the help of Earth's gravity. The Sun's gravity will pull it in and incinerate it. That's my idea to get a handle on the plastics. It's humanity's responsibility to NOT destroy our home (Earth). Already micro plastics are being found in our blood! OUR BLOOD! Just think about all the medical issues it will, or already has caused. Will plastics be our end? Maybe.

2:06 Who is from Czech? (car)

If waste plastic that can't be recycled isn't burnt to produce electricity (plus heat for processes, greenhouses and home heating) then more fossil fuel would have to be used to produce the same amount of electricity - and you'd still have the waste plastic.

Here's a topic you could do a documentary series about the same as your heading. In most of Canada the same thing happens to recycled waste. It's either burned or buried in a landfill while the people have to pay to have it picked up all sorted into different bins.

Does anybody here know that meal worms can eat and Digest plastic?

Intresting

Wow, didn't know the french are running this kind of experiment! Would love to hear of the plastic ban results, how much more foodwaste is generated, how much more carbon is emitted by alterantive packaging.

Individually wrapped biscuits and sweets is a disgrace

It's very bad

I think all the plastic that can't be recycled can be burned 3 gasification

Dear Guardian Team Interesting video, as you say it is complicated. I think you need to look at the bigger picture, rather than highlighting just one element of the waste management structure.

I have always been a supporter of the Guardian but this video had numerous one-sided half truth. *Just a few examples:* 1) When you say: "Worse, 11% of waste brought to recycling is actually incinerated ( 0:28 ). That's about the average amount of waste sent to recycling after separate collection that is then discarded by the *RECYCLING FACILITIES* precisely because it is not recyclable. The role of incineration with energy recovery is to treat non-recyclable waste so that it does not end up in landfills where it leads to long-term risks of pollution. It's not black or white, next time please start with the concept of *waste hierarchy* so that people understand that there is no silver bullet in waste management. 2) *Co2 only accounted from plastics:* that's because this is the fossil share, the rest is *biogenic CO2* . 3) *Comparison between CO2 emissions and energy production:* Fine, how many wind turbines or gas-fired power plants also prevent pollution from non-recyclable waste? Pollution and methane emissions (worse than CO2) from landfills are the (bad) alternative to energy recovery, not solar panels. *Waste prevention, better separate collection and increased recycling capacities are key. Mere scapegoating of Waste-to-Energy is not.*

Hmm

Goes to prove its not the people but the powerful that are the problem.

Recycle vs incinerate. Fire wins

Don't build any new incinerators. We already have enough.

Using country of Turkey as a plastic dump, instead of China an Africa ,so technology rich West could not even produce packaging that would biodegrade ,but could produce more smart phones instead ...what a distaste ,lived in poor countries for 3 yrs and they recycled and used up natural materials as a habit , who's brainier??

♻️

Big love from India ❤️👍

horrible

Consumers need to start looking at how much waste they are producing and take action themselves

Could the toxic gas emissions be controlled to produce energy some way? Some countries used the co2 for plants Brazil used methane from waste dumps Scientists and engineers may find a solution

Need to recycle

i ❤️ CO2