Most Googled: where does London's rubbish go?

London’s population will hit 9.3 million by 2021 – and people equal waste. As Jeff Goldblum might say while assessing our city’s rubbish situation: that is one big pile of shit. But where does London’s hefty trash heap end up?

Leaving recycling aside, each borough collects waste from its residents (a vital use of your council tax) and delivers it to a central collection point. From there, according to Roger St Paul from the West London Waste Authority (a man who knows a thing or two about garbage), London’s detritus is mostly either buried in landfill or used as fuel for energy, either in the UK or  elsewhere in Europe.

And recycling? Well, London is really bad at it – possibly because of our patchwork of different councils with different rules, and possibly because we’re all a bit lazy sometimes. Instead of burying or burning our shit, we should probably get better at turning it into something new.

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