What really happens to the stuff you throw away? In an exclusive competition launched last year, 10 readers in the UK won the chance to find out by taking part in the 鈥渢rash tracking鈥� experiment we ran in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology鈥檚 .
The objects our winners chose to tag and throw away ranged from a plastic bottle to an old computer. The tracking results are now in. While the prototype tracker technology didn鈥檛 prove 100 per cent reliable, the cases where it worked give a good indication of how the country鈥檚 rubbish is being disposed of.
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See more: the map of where the trackers went
Tag 987
Winner: James Brown聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: plastic milk bottle
Starting point: Trantlebeg, Sutherland
End point: Grangemouth, Stirlingshire
Do local-authority waste collectors really recycle the plastic waste we diligently separate from the rest of our rubbish? That鈥檚 what James Brown, whose Scottish Highland home is far from any recycling centre, wanted to find out. He tagged an old milk bottle and dropped it in his recycling bin. The bottle travelled 400 kilometres, via two depots, to a recycling plant in Grangemouth. In the Highlands at least, it seems that sorting your rubbish is worth the effort.
Tag 952
Winner: Shaun Baker聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: smoke detector聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Starting point: Stafford
End point: 尝颈惫别谤辫辞辞濒听听听听听听听听听听听
Shaun Baker wondered if a smoke alarm would require specialised disposal as it contained a radioactive source. However, radiation levels in smoke alarms are too low for them to be classed as radioactive material when disposed of. The alarm was treated as ordinary electronic waste and sent to Liverpool to be shredded. Metal and plastics were separated and the plastics sent on for further recycling. The metal will be sold to refineries for reuse.
Tag 976
Winner: Nick Hunn聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: 肠补谤听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Starting point: Edgware, London
End point: 耻苍办苍辞飞苍听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Nick Hunn was preparing to scrap his 10-year-old car under the government鈥檚 scrappage scheme. As the car wasn鈥檛 in poor condition, Hunn tagged it to see if it really would be scrapped. Sadly, the tracker signal disappeared, so the car鈥檚 fate remains a mystery.
Tag 966
Winner: Tanya Heasman聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: cuddly toy聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Starting point: Waterloo, London
End point: 耻苍办苍辞飞苍听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Tanya Heasman鈥檚 children love finding lost toys or 鈥渢reasure鈥� around the streets of London. They wanted to know what would happen to one of their own treasures if it was left in the street for another child to find. Unfortunately, after being left near Waterloo station, the toy and its tag immediately went missing.
Tag 950
Winner: Alex Dragoi聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: 产颈肠测肠濒别听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Starting point: Crystal Palace, London
End point: 耻苍办苍辞飞苍听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Alex Dragoi wanted to know what would happen to an unwanted bicycle left for recycling in London, but beyond his home no tracker signal was seen.
Tag 973
Winner: Chris Hamley聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: 肠辞尘辫耻迟别谤听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Starting point: Marlborough, Wiltshire
End point: Newbury, Berkshire
We often hear stories about our electronic waste polluting the environment in poor countries, so Chris Hamley chose to tag an old computer he was dropping off for recycling. Encouragingly, it did not travel far. Hamley鈥檚 computer was broken up and shredded 30 kilometres away in Newbury, where the components were separated and the metals sold on to refineries elsewhere in the UK.
Tag 990
Winner: Gudrun Gaudian聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: multicoloured leather schoolbag
Starting point: Alne, North Yorkshire
End point: Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Gudrun Gaudian was curious to find out what would become of a multicoloured leather bag collected from her local school in the village of Alne by Bag2School, a business that buys unwanted school bags in the UK and sells them on where they are needed. The bag wound up in a sorting depot outside Northallerton, 35 kilometres away, most probably bound for eastern Europe, where another child may yet use it to carry their school books.
Tag 985
Winner: Vince Sellars聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: electric water pump聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Starting point: Gleadless, Sheffield
End point: Boston, Lincolnshire
What becomes of electrical equipment we leave at recycling centres? Vince Sellars tagged an old water pump to find out. Normally, the steel from the pump would be separated and recycled in Sheffield, Sellars鈥檚 home city. In this case, the tag travelled to Boston, about 130 kilometres away. Perhaps it went with the pump鈥檚 plastic parts to a recycling facility in the town.
Tag 991
Winner: Mark Norman聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: soft-drink can聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Starting point: Chelmsford, Essex
End point: Tilbury, Essex
As an environmental manager at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, Mark Norman was keen to follow the fate of a soft-drink can collected from the university by waste contractor Green Recycling. After mechanical recovery in Maldon, Essex, the final tracker signal showed the can in Basildon. The company told Norman it was on its way to the docks at Tilbury, probably en route to metal dealers abroad.
Tag 968
Winner: Jeremy Branfoot聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Item: cardboard box聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Starting point: Ashdown House School, Forest Row, East Sussex
End point: Seaford, East Sussex
What becomes of all the old boxes picked up in recycling collections? Jeremy Branfoot, a teacher at Ashdown House School, tagged some of their cardboard waste as part of an eco-initiative at the school. After being collected by the council, the tagged cardboard travelled 50 kilometres to Seaford, where it was recycled to make fresh packaging.
