I work at the School of Education in Mathematics Education and teach on PGCE and Master's courses and supervise several PGRs. I help to run the School's Climate Action Group. I have a family with 3 children, two of them still at school.
My challenge
I want to document (and hope to reduce) all my landfill waste.

Early in the challenge I wrote about putting dog waste in bins and wrote to the council to ask about what happens to it – and also whether it is possible to flush it down the loo in dissolvable bags (as suggested on a website). Here is the reply … I will look into Suez Energy Recovery … I also found UoB sends all it waste to energy recovery, so feels like an important process to know more about …

Dear Mr Coles

Thank you for contacting us regarding dog waste. Any waste deposited in our litter bins and dog bins is taken for Energy from Waste, primarily at Suez Energy Recovery Centre in Avonmouth. The waste (which includes the black sacks we collect form households) is used to generate electricity.

Thankfully we do not directly landfill any waste.

I sorry but I can’t comment about what types of bags are permissible to be flushed down the toilet. This will have to be answered by Wessex Water or Bristol, depending on your supplier. Looking at general advice I believe that only tissue paper can go down the loo. They campaign against wipes, washable wipes or degradable ones.

Please let me know if you have any further queries

Yours sincerely

Strategy & Contracts – Campaigns, Technical Support and Project Officer

Neighbourhood Environmental Services

Bath & North East Somerset Council