With each and every one of us producing around 400kg (on average) of household-like waste every year, rubbish would quickly pile up without the daily efforts of 140,000 people employed across the recycling and waste treatment sector.

The only interaction most people have with our sector is when their home or business bins are collected, or they need to visit their local Household Waste Recycling Centre. But behind these valuable frontline services lies a large, intricate and symbiotic network of organisations, infrastructure, data, policy and regulation that is forever shifting in response to societal, political and technological change. – with the goal of protecting the environment and making the most of our waste.

Modern recycling and waste treatment is a complex system. Click on the icons to unravel the mysteries of the vital infrastructure behind your bin collections and find out what happens to your rubbish once it’s been collected.