How green is a Taylor Swift concert?

Summary

In this episode of Talking Rubbish, James and Robbie, cover various topics related to recycling; including the sorting and recycling process for different materials like steel, aluminum, and incinerator bottom ash.

They also discuss James' experience attending a Taylor Swift concert and the sustainability and waste management practices observed at the event.

The episode covers the challenges and opportunities around reuse, recycling, and waste reduction in the context of large-scale events and concerts. The hosts provide recommendations on how event organisers can improve sustainability, such as including reusable cups in ticket prices and providing more water refill stations.

Chapters

Sorting Process for Steel and Aluminium

The hosts discuss the sorting of the metals, starting with steel cans, which are sorted using magnets. They then move on to aluminium, which is sorted using eddy currents, a process that repels the non-ferrous metal. The hosts also mention that a significant amount of aluminum recycling comes from incinerator bottom ash, where metals are extracted using a similar process.

Trash Talk: Sustainability at the Taylor Swift Concert

The hosts shift the discussion to James' experience attending a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley Stadium. They describe the various sustainability and waste management practices (or lack thereof) observed at the event, including the use of single-use plastic bottles, cups, and cutlery, as well as the distribution of electronic bracelets that were estimated to generate 260 tons of waste across the tour.

The hosts provide recommendations on how event organisers can improve sustainability, such as including reusable cups in ticket prices and providing more water refill stations.

Rubbish or Not: Can Kitchen Towel be Recycled

The hosts discuss whether kitchen towel can be recycled, unfortunately, it cannot. Some councils will accept kitchen towel in the food waste, so it is definitely worth checking whether yours does.