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We all talk about the importance of recycling but what actually happens to our waste once it’s gone in the bin? This film goes behind the scenes with the men and women who collect, sort and sell our rubbish.

We follow a team of loaders on the recycling round in Peterborough, one of the UK’s fastest-growing cities. Chrystal, a newbie and the only
female, is getting to grips with an intensely physical job. Richard is an old hand who knows the whole neighbourhood and sometimes despairs at what he finds in our bins. Meanwhile Pete, their driver, is about to retire - adding to the staffing shortages faced across much of the industry.

The recycling they collect often goes to a multimillion-pound facility near Cambridge. Ever wondered what happens if you put the wrong thing in your recycling? The answer is here. Fran, the operations manager, oversees 300 tonnes of recycling every day from 380,000 households. Her team regularly deals with surprises, sometimes shocking ones. Once it’s processed, our recycling is packaged up and sold on to the next phase of its life.

This film is about what it really takes to recycle our rubbish.