Talking Rubbish - The Recycling Podcast
By James Piper, Robbie Staniforth
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Subscribers: 70
Reviews: 1
Episodes: 97
Feb 4, 2025
Description
"Toast this pair who are trying to make a difference one rubbish episode at a time" - The Independent
If you think recycling is boring, think again. James and Robbie are here to prove that recycling is not only important but also downright fun!
Ever wondered what happens to the lime in a recycled Corona bottle? Or, why a cucumber needs to be wrapped in plastic? The answers may surprise you.
James does the research, while Robbie brings his unfiltered knowledge to the table, making for an unexpectedly entertaining deep dive into the weird and wonderful world of recycling. From busting myths to answering the wildest questions, you’ll laugh, learn, and maybe even rethink what you toss in the bin.
“Eye-opening stuff and only rarely dry” - The Guardian
"Who knew rubbish could be so interesting" - Radio Times
"This podcast will make you smarter and greener" - The i
"Full of handy, informative insights" - Heat
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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96. How recycling is really funded
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May 28, 2026 |
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95. The tech that could end overpackaged boxes, with Jude Pullen
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May 21, 2026 |
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94. From Kindle to kindling - how Big Tech creates waste
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May 14, 2026 |
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93. The death of the barcode - a win for sustainability?
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May 07, 2026 |
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92. How the war in Iran is reshaping the plastic market
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Apr 30, 2026 |
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91. Is the Government driving up plastic use?
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Apr 23, 2026 |
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90. Inside Netflix's 'The Plastic Detox' - the story beyond the screen, with Eric Isaac
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Apr 16, 2026 |
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89. Is palm oil really that bad?
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Apr 09, 2026 |
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88. The truth behind ‘lost parcel’ reselling - scam or goldmine?
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Apr 02, 2026 |
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87. Is expensive petrol driving people to electric cars?
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Mar 26, 2026 |
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86. Netflix's 'The Plastic Detox' - what it gets right (and what it misses)
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Mar 19, 2026 |
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85. Talking rubbish...with the man who collects it, the No. 1 Binman
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Mar 12, 2026 |
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84. The BrewDog forest - climate solution or greenwashing?
|
Mar 05, 2026 |
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83. Is climate collaboration illegal?
|
Feb 26, 2026 |
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82. Is there a teaspoon of microplastics in our brains?
|
Feb 19, 2026 |
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81. The sudden rise of food waste bins
|
Feb 12, 2026 |
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80. How to remove colour from plastic, with Steven Burns
|
Feb 05, 2026 |
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79. How colour drains the value from plastic recycling
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Jan 29, 2026 |
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78. Birmingham bin strike - what happens when waste piles up?
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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77. Is recycling a scam?
|
Jan 15, 2026 |
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76. Why your council tax isn't paying for your recycling anymore
|
Jan 08, 2026 |
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75. Sustainability around the world, with Ellie Piper
|
Jan 01, 2026 |
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74. Should LEGO use recycled plastic?
|
Dec 25, 2025 |
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73. Battery fires - the growing problem within recycling
|
Dec 18, 2025 |
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72. Why labels on bottles could ruin our recycling
|
Dec 11, 2025 |
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71. Dirty business - is waste crime on the rise?
|
Dec 04, 2025 |
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70. Behind the scenes of sustainable TV production, with Stephanie Shires
|
Nov 27, 2025 |
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69. Green Screen - the carbon footprint of TV
|
Nov 20, 2025 |
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68. Sustainable toilet paper - getting to the bottom of it
|
Nov 13, 2025 |
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67. Will there really be more plastic than fish in the ocean?
|
Nov 06, 2025 |
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66. Who should win the Earthshot prize?
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Oct 30, 2025 |
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65. Recycling realities in the Global South, with Esther Carter from Delterra
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Oct 23, 2025 |
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64. Why is recycling so hard in America?
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Oct 16, 2025 |
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63. Waste on a plane - how airlines manage recycling
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Oct 09, 2025 |
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62. Why toothpaste tubes can finally be recycled
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Oct 02, 2025 |
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61. Labubu - the rise and risks of blind box packaging
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Sep 25, 2025 |
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60. FlexCollect - closing the loop on flexible plastic, with Gareth Morton from Ecosurety
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Sep 18, 2025 |
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59. How we made flexible plastic recycling valuable
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Sep 11, 2025 |
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58. Why plastic recycling isn't working
|
Sep 04, 2025 |
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57. Why the UN Plastic Treaty failed...again!
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Aug 28, 2025 |
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56. Is aluminium the ultimate packaging?
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Aug 21, 2025 |
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55. How brands got us hooked on plastic, with Saabira Chaudhuri
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Aug 14, 2025 |
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54. Sachets - the true cost of convenience
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Aug 07, 2025 |
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53. Why excessive packaging is illegal
|
Jul 31, 2025 |
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52. How landfills actually work
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Jul 24, 2025 |
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51. Why does your glass bottle contain microplastics?
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Jul 17, 2025 |
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50. The truth about climate change, with Mike Berners-Lee
|
Jul 10, 2025 |
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49. Carbon offsetting - the good, the bad and the ugly
|
Jul 03, 2025 |
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48. Green fields - can festivals be sustainable?
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Jun 26, 2025 |
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47. Recycling in flats - how to make it work
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Jun 19, 2025 |
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46. Greenwashing exposed - the brands that mislead
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Jun 12, 2025 |
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45. Recycling labels explained, with Alice Harlock from OPRL
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Jun 05, 2025 |
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44. RAM raid - should the Government control our packaging?
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May 29, 2025 |
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43. Does plastic cause heart disease?
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May 22, 2025 |
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42. Do we really only recycle 9% of plastic?
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May 15, 2025 |
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41. On a mission - what can we learn from plastic recycling in South Africa?
|
May 08, 2025 |
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40. Is paper the new glass, with Will Connolly from Diageo
|
May 01, 2025 |
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39. From plastic to paper - a greener move or greenwashed myth?
|
Apr 24, 2025 |
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38. Who is the best recycler in England?
|
Apr 17, 2025 |
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37. Eco-pets - reducing your pet’s carbon pawprint
|
Apr 10, 2025 |
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36. Ditching disposables - making reusable coffee cups the new normal
|
Apr 03, 2025 |
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35. How to recycle a coffee cup with Rob Tilsley from James Cropper
|
Mar 27, 2025 |
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34. Cups, coatings, and confusion - why your coffee cup isn’t recycled
|
Mar 20, 2025 |
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33. Why finding plastic in the ocean is harder than you think
|
Mar 13, 2025 |
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32. Is Trump right to bring back plastic straws?
|
Mar 06, 2025 |
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31. Shattered - the end of glass packaging?
|
Feb 27, 2025 |
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30. A good car crash with Stuart Goldsmith, Climate Comedian
|
Feb 20, 2025 |
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29. Rubbish decision? The shift to monthly bin collections
|
Feb 13, 2025 |
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28. Disappearing plastic? The controversy of oxo-degradable
|
Feb 06, 2025 |
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27. Why do we export so much plastic for recycling?
|
Jan 30, 2025 |
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26. Toxic tableware? The truth about black plastic utensils
|
Jan 23, 2025 |
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25. Making the invisible, visible, with Alice Rackley from Polytag
|
Jan 16, 2025 |
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24. Are invisible barcodes the holy grail of plastic recycling?
|
Jan 09, 2025 |
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23. Recycling rewards - exploring Deposit Return Schemes
|
Jan 02, 2025 |
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22. Green Christmas - unwrapping festive recycling
|
Dec 26, 2024 |
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21. How sustainable is having a baby?
|
Dec 19, 2024 |
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20. How to make packaging from seaweed, with Pierre Paslier from Notpla
|
Dec 12, 2024 |
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19. Breaking down compostable plastic
|
Dec 05, 2024 |
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18. The true cost of deals - Black Friday’s environmental impact
|
Nov 28, 2024 |
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17. Disposable vapes finally going up in smoke
|
Nov 21, 2024 |
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16. Burn or bury - how rubbish is incineration?
|
Nov 14, 2024 |
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15. Fun recycling campaigns, with Alex Robinson from Hubbub
|
Nov 07, 2024 |
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14. Halloween sustainability - the scoop on pumpkins
|
Oct 31, 2024 |
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13. Is recycling flexible plastic worth the effort?
|
Oct 24, 2024 |
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12. Which plastics have been banned and why?
|
Oct 17, 2024 |
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11. Are we really eating a credit card of microplastic weekly?
|
Oct 10, 2024 |
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10. Making refill easy with Nick Torday from Bower Collective
|
Oct 03, 2024 |
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9. Why are cucumbers wrapped in plastic?
|
Sep 26, 2024 |
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8. Who's really paying for your recycling?
|
Sep 19, 2024 |
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7. How green is a Taylor Swift concert?
|
Sep 12, 2024 |
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6. How can we make refillable packaging work?
|
Sep 05, 2024 |
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5. Ending the plastic cotton bud, with Natalie Fée from City to Sea
|
Aug 29, 2024 |
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4. The surprising truth behind the carrier bag charge
|
Aug 22, 2024 |
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3. Do the Olympics fuel packaging use?
|
Aug 15, 2024 |
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2. Why coffee pods aren't that bad
|
Aug 08, 2024 |
|
1. Why are bottle caps suddenly attached?
|
Aug 01, 2024 |
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Welcome to Talking Rubbish
|
Jul 25, 2024 |