Is Recycling Just a Load of Rubbish?

A free talk at the IET examining what really happens to our rubbish and whether recycling is the best approach to closing the materials loop.

This talk explores what actually happens to the waste we throw away and how much of it could be given a second life. It looks at recycling in environmental and economic terms, arguing that obvious solutions can be simplistic and carry unexpected negative consequences. The session considers product end-of-life within a whole lifecycle system, exploring approaches to closing the materials usage loop, particularly for metals and plastics, and what optimal practices might look like.