What happens to general rubbish?

Where your general rubbish goes

General rubbish is currently taken to a landfill site in Essex where it eventually rots, releasing harmful greenhouse gases.

However, we are working towards our goal of zero waste to landfill by 2030. A key proposal in the Waste Strategy for Essex is to use Energy from Waste (EfW) to deal with waste that can’t be recycled. EfW is the process of taking waste and turning it into energy and heat.

Once we have reused, repaired and recycled as much as we can, the next best option is to recover energy from what is left. 

Page update 5 June 2025