Wastemen

Newcastle is much like any other city in the country, with one key difference when it comes to waste. Since landfill tax was introduced the desire to find alternatives to throwing rubbish in a hole in the ground has become the holy grail of the waste industry. And this goes far beyond simply encouraging residents to use their recycling bins. All domestic rubbish in Newcastle is taken to the Byker Waste Processing Plant, in the outskirts of the city. Behind its doors, the team work to get as much use out of the rubbish as they can. In an enormous operation using giant sieves called trommels, moving belts and huge magnets, the rubbish is sorted and a use is found for 80% of all the waste it receives. Food waste is turned into compost, metals are removed and most of what’s left is wrapped in bails and turned into refuse derived fuel, which can be used to generate electricity in power stations. The RDF from Byker is shipped across the North Sea to Sweden. The lesson we learn from looking closely at our waste is that there is more value in what we throw away than we could ever imagine. From places like Byker Waste Processing Plant, to people struggling to make ends meet by salvaging what they can from skips, never has the idea that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure been so true.