Tracking Waste Exports from NI: An Internal Audit of Bryson Recycling

The flow of household recyclables, their disposal and treatment are a growing concern. Convenience and environmental integrity are the primary aspects of recycling services that people are interested in. In the context of unprecedented environmental challenges, e.g. the climate change and plastic pollution in the oceans, there is a heightened awareness about the impact of poor waste management practices. Currently, in Northern Ireland (NI) the predominant system is a single stream system of collection where household recyclables are comingled in the blue bin, which relies on exports of waste abroad. This system fails to meet the incoming targets under the current legislation – Waste (Circular Economy) (Amended) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 – for separate collection, quality and circular economy. There are numerous reports of waste exported from NI and the UK being simply dumped in developing countries. It is unknown whether the exported waste is treated correctly and safely once it reaches the end-point destination. Lack of transparency and limited information on end destinations is undermining public confidence in the recycling process and waste management services. Through an internal audit of NI's leading social entrprise in the use multi-stream recycling collection system - Bryson Recycling - this study seeks to model the flow of dry recycling from NI to end destinations. To map the journey of exported materials from the point of sort to their final processing or disposal locations, GPS tracking devices will be planted in a purposive sample of recyclables and satellite technology will be used to trace their journey. Open-source investigation methods will then be employed to triangulate the tracking data and conduct due dilligence into destination sights, facilities and companies administrating them to determine risk of harm to the environment and human health.