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Run recycling and residual waste trips

Without a collection service you are the haulier. Plan trips so they are efficient and nothing is burned or buried.

How

1. Do not burn rubbish. Open burning of household waste releases dioxins, fine particles, PAHs, VOCs and carbon monoxide; EPA has described it as the largest quantified source of dioxin emissions.
2. Do not bury or spread ash from burned rubbish: it can contain lead, mercury, chromium and arsenic that get into vegetables, children and groundwater.
3. Combine the recycling run with other trips to town. Use the weekly tracker to predict when storage will be full.
4. Keep recyclables clean, dry and sorted to the centre's rules so they are accepted.
5. Log each trip: date, volumes and where each stream went.

Safety: Burning waste can also break local law (UK example: fines and abatement notices). Check your local rules.

Sources

1. Backyard Burning: Health Effects. US Environmental Protection Agency (archive), accessed 2026-11
2. Garden bonfires: the rules. GOV.UK, accessed 2026-11
3. Sustainable Materials Management: Non-Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Hierarchy. US Environmental Protection Agency (archived snapshot), accessed 2026-11

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