Talking Rubbish

About Talking Rubbish

2 x British Podcast Award winner 2026: Gold in Education and Bronze in Impact. "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

Publisher

James Piper, Robbie Staniforth

Category

education · science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Jul 2024

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

47 of 119 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   115. Inside the UK’s Deposit Return Scheme with Julian Hunt

   Host [Host Name] interviews Julian Hunt from Exchange for Change about the UK's Deposit Return Scheme, exploring its design and impact on recycling.

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   114. How Norway gets 98% of its bottles and cans back

   Host Tom Rouse interviews Norwegian environmental expert Dr. Ingrid Olsen about the innovative deposit return system achieving 98% bottle and can recovery.

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   113. Why can't we just make deposit return digital?

   Host Sarah Jenkins and guest Dr. Alex Smith discuss the complexities and global trials of implementing digital deposit return systems for recycling.

Inside a recent episode

112. Why the UK Deposit Return Scheme is free for brands

Published 17 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Whereas in this unredeemed deposit scenario, it is actually individuals who have gone to a shop, given them the extra 20p, and then for whatever reason... They've not gone back and reclaimed those 20 Ps, and that has all totaled up. So we will have a society where those who are really keen to get their money back won't fund the system, and those for whatever reason who aren't able to, can't, not bothered – apathy potentially those are the ones who will be funding the system for the first year and a bit there is a difference between epr and drs that does make the kind of free 0.00 p fee work because with epr you have a threshold so you have like a 25 ton threshold which means that the smallest packaging companies don't pay into epr In DRS, because it's a whole system changer, because the government want any drinks container to have a deposit, even if you're a small artisan craft beer company, you've still got to charge a deposit. […]

Who has been a guest on Talking Rubbish

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Julian Hunt
• Lucy Siegle
• Tessa Clarke

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

54,207

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

263 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 68 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

74

Social presence

94

YouTube

76

Engagement

32

Questions about Talking Rubbish