The Beyond Waste Podcast

What changes when designers leave the studio and follow their products into the waste system? Guest host Alexie Sommer speaks with Biffa’s Amy Hooper and Designability’s Pippa Bridges about a pioneering programme taking designers inside recycling plants, e-waste facilities, paper mills and landfills. From shredders that challenge accepted ideas about disassembly to lost materials, battery fires and the pressures reshaping business, they explore why circularity cannot remain an optional extra, and why every design brief should begin with what happens at the end.

The resource and waste sector is central to circularity, climate action, jobs and resource resilience. So why do so many people still see it as just “bins”? In this episode of Beyond Waste, CIWM President Vicki Hughes and CIWM Early Careers President Emma Mulligan join us to discuss Vicki’s presidential campaign, Think Again, and the challenge of making the sector more visible, more accessible and more attractive to new talent. They explore why language matters, how early careers professionals can help shift perceptions, what businesses can do to tell a better story about the roles they offer, and why the sector needs a stronger, more consistent voice at a time of policy uncertainty, regulatory change and growing pressure on resources. See more on Vicki's campaign here.

As David Greenfield concludes his term as CIWM President and Charlotte Davies reflects on her year as CIWM’s first Early Careers President, they look back on the conversations, challenges and progress that defined their time in office. They discuss bringing the resources and waste and circular economy agendas closer together, tackling the skills and workforce gap, making the sector central to conversations on resource resilience, and moving circularity from ambition to everyday practice. With advice for incoming presidents Vicki and Emma, as well as young professionals considering a career in the sector, this is a forward-looking conversation about the people, policies and partnerships needed to build a more circular future.

Guest Linda Aspey, Climate Psychology Alliance Hosted by Trang Dang, CIWM  Climate change is not only an environmental, political and economic challenge. It is also an emotional one. In this episode, Trang Dang speaks to Linda Aspey from the Climate Psychology Alliance about the growing field of climate psychology and the eco-emotions many people experience in response to the climate crisis, including anxiety, anger, grief, guilt and despair. They explore why these emotions can sometimes overwhelm people, but can also become a source of connection, reflection and action. The conversation also looks at the role of communication, storytelling and language in shaping how people understand climate change, and how we can talk about the crisis without deepening hopelessness or disengagement. Linda also discusses the psychological challenge of moving away from a culture built around endless growth, and toward values rooted in sustainability, wellbeing and “enoughness”. Finally, the episode considers what resilience really means in the context of climate change, and how individuals, organisations and communities can develop the emotional capacity to face an uncertain future. A thoughtful conversation about climate, communication and the inner work needed to build a more resilient society.

Plastic recycling sits at the heart of the circular economy — yet across the UK and Europe many recyclers are struggling to survive. If recycling is such a critical part of the system, why is the business model so difficult to sustain? In this episode, we’re joined by Richard Hudson from the CIWM and Adam Herriott from WRAP to explore the realities facing plastics recyclers today. From volatile material markets and rising operational costs to the complex policy landscape shaping the sector, we unpack what it actually takes to run a plastics recycling business. Together we examine the plastics waste market in the UK and Europe, why so many recyclers are struggling, and what separates the companies that succeed from those that fail. We also discuss the role of policy — from Extended Producer Responsibility and waste exports to whether governments should be doing more to support domestic recycling infrastructure. Looking ahead, we ask whether the UK Emissions Trading Scheme could shift the economics in favour of recycling — or whether market forces will simply drive a move away from plastics altogether. It’s a candid look at the paradox at the centre of plastics recycling — and what it will take to build a system that truly works. ♻️

Wales has secured UK government approval to include glass in its Deposit Return Scheme – a move that sets it apart from England and Northern Ireland and raises major questions about the future of UK-wide resource policy. In this episode of Beyond Waste, we speak to John Twitchen of Stuff4Life about what including glass in Wales’s DRS actually means in practice – and why it matters. Why did Wales push so hard for glass? Why did Defra agree to diverge from internal market alignment? And if glass is so important, why isn’t it included elsewhere? We also explore the implications for reuse and refill systems, the operational impact on Wales’s high-performing recycling infrastructure, and the tensions this creates for cross-border producers and the glass and drinks industries. Does this decision genuinely move Wales further up the waste hierarchy – or is it a complicated step toward circularity?

Planetary boundaries are under pressure. Legislation is tightening. And 2026 is shaping up to be another pivotal year for the UK’s resource and waste sector. In this episode, CIWM’s policy, innovation and technical leaders — Dan Cook, Tina Benfield and Richard Hudson — unpack what the next phase of transition really looks like. From Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), from Simpler Recycling to Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), the sector is navigating overlapping reforms that must work together — or risk stalling progress. The conversation explores why cross-department policy integration is critical, how resource resilience is becoming a national priority amid global volatility, and whether England risks falling behind without a clear resource sector strategy to replace its now outdated 2018 roadmap. The team also discuss: The circular economy growth plan and route maps Moving up the waste hierarchy — reuse and repair as economic strategy What’s next for EPR, including expanding material streams Skills shortages and why workforce development may be the missing piece CIWM’s 10 recommendations — and why we “must not waste the next four years” This isn’t just another policy update. It’s a strategic look at whether the UK can align regulation, infrastructure and skills quickly enough to build genuine resource resilience — and turn ambition into delivery. If you work in resources, waste, environmental policy or the circular economy, this is essential listening.

2025 was a year of big promises, policy pivots, and growing pressure across waste, resources, and the circular economy. In this special year-in-review episode of Beyond Waste, guest host David Greenfield (President, CIWM & Vice President, CEI) is joined by Charlotte Davies (CIWM Early Careers Team President) to unpack what really mattered. From simpler recycling reforms and waste crime hitting the headlines, to AI, tracking tech, and the struggle to make circular economy language land with people, they explore the wins, the setbacks, and the lessons of the year. The conversation also looks ahead to 2026—new regulations, digital waste tracking, major events like ISWA in London, and how the sector can become more attractive, accessible, and impactful. If you want a clear-eyed view of where the sector’s been—and where it’s heading—this is the episode to catch up.

What does circular economy progress look like when it starts at community level? In this episode of Beyond Waste, host Richard Hudson (CIWM) is joined by voices from across the Dennakuwo partnership to reflect on three years of collaboration in The Gambia. Drawing on the newly released WasteAid–CIWM impact report, the conversation explores how skills, confidence, and local leadership can transform resource and waste management from the ground up. From setting the wider context of waste, sanitation and circularity in The Gambia, to supporting green enterprises, behaviour change and local authority engagement, this episode offers a grounded look at how sustainable change happens when communities are empowered to lead it themselves. Richard Hudson, CIWM (host)  Ceris Turner-Bailes, WasteAid  Lamin Sanyang, WasteAid Ndey Awa Ceesay, Dennakuwo Secretary General  Alfusainey Sey, NAACO Enterprise

As global divisions intensify and international agreements falter, the path to sustainable consumption has never felt more uncertain. Yet the need for resource recovery, resilient systems, and fair global supply chains is only growing. In this episode of The Beyond Waste Podcast, guest host Tim Walker (arc21) is joined by Maya de Souza (Materia Verde) and Beth Barker (Aldersgate Group) to tackle one of the most contentious questions of our time: Is a world built on sustainable consumption truly possible—or just a well-meaning illusion? Together, they unpack the realities of SDG 12 in 2025, the stubborn chokehold of the linear economy, and what happens when global treaties stall or collapse. The conversation takes us from the shifting economic power of the Global South to the geopolitical risks of restricting consumption in nations whose economies rely on it. Expect a candid exploration of: Whether resource efficiency, waste reduction, policy action or lifestyle change is the real key to rapid impact How to break free from the linear model dominating global economies The fallout from failed international agreements—like the stalled UN Global Plastics Treaty Building credible, just, and sustainable global supply chains Why “sustainable consumption” sounds simple but is maddeningly complex in practice Growing consumption in the Global South—and how to avoid replicating Western overconsumption Why some nations view consumption restrictions as existential threats Join us for a thought-provoking, solutions-focused conversation on what it really takes to build resilient systems—and whether sustainable consumption can ever move from ambition to reality.