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Columnist and Environment

Putting food waste in the bin felt wrong until I learned where it went

When I moved back to York, UK, I was shocked by its garbage system, with limited recycling and no composting. But a bit of digging showed its brilliance, says Graham Lawton

By Graham Lawton

20 November 2024

2AFX2PH aerial view of Allerton Waste Recovery Park, on the A1(M) near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK

Allerton Waste Recovery Park

A.P.S. (UK)/Alamy

A few years ago, I spent an interesting if pungent day visiting two of Europe’s most advanced waste processing facilities, a state-of-the-art rubbish dump near Espoo in Finland and a power station in nearby Vantaa. Together, they are playing a pivotal role in greater Helsinki’s push towards a circular economy, ensuring that every scrap of the city’s municipal waste is either recycled or turned into energy or heat, so nothing is sent to landfill. I remember thinking, “How brilliant, I wish we could do that”.

It turns out we in the UK can,…

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