Sheffield Council and Veolia respond to rumours brown bin recycling is a ‘myth’

Rumours spread on social media that waste put into Sheffield’s brown bins was not recycled but incinerated together with other rubbish for energy.

Amy Bedford started the debate on Twitter during the recent record-breaking heatwave and said: “Someone told me brown bin (non-paper) recycling in Sheffield is a myth as they just incinerate it all together. Is this true? Does anyone know? Just while we all burn to death on our broken planet.”

Others said they heard similar rumours.

One Twitter user shared a link to an old article from 2017 that reported a dispute between GMB union and Veolia over a leaked email that alleged the company was diverting recyclable waste from its household waste recycling centres to its incinerator due to a 50,000 tonne shortfall in waste needed to run the incinerator. However, Veolia claimed it was “false and entirely incorrect”.

What the authorities said

Responding to the rumours in a joint statement Veolia and the council said: “We would like to reassure Sheffield residents that all plastic bottles, tins, cans and glass placed into their brown bin are taken to be recycled at a local materials recycling facility where they are processed and sent to be turned into new items.

“The only kerbside waste taken to our energy recovery facility is from resident’s black bins where it is turned into heat for Sheffield’s district energy network and electricity for the National Grid.”