In the latter half of the twentieth century, most of the rubbish we threw away in the UK was collected and buried in landfill.

However, in just over two decades, UK waste management has become a far more complex operation, and billions have been invested – much of it by ESA members – in new infrastructure to recycle and re-use as much waste material as possible, returning it to the circular economy.

The graphic below provides a simple guide showing what happens to different types of waste, while our most recent market report provides a more detailed overview and analysis of the sector.