The war on waste

Research by Dr Henry Irving, senior lecturer in public history at Leeds Beckett University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, is helping local and national government bodies in the UK develop polices to combat climate change, learning from the rapid upturn in recycling among British households in World War Two.

Around 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions come directly from waste disposal. Recycling and reusing materials helps to cut emissions, as it uses less energy than extracting and processing new materials. However, England’s recycling rate has remained stubbornly at around 45% for more than a decade, and a 2023 National Audit Office report made clear just how far the UK government’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has to go before realising its ambition to virtually eliminate the disposal of biodegradable waste to landfill by 2030.

Dr Irving’s work highlights how the experience of British people during the World War II can providing learnings for today’s policymakers looking to increase recycling habits and develop a circular economy – one that minimises waste and emissions by re-using resources and materials.

The onset of war in 1939 required rapid behaviour change among British people so that household materials could be salvaged and recycled to support the war effort, as well as ensure ships had the capacity to carry critical supplies, rather than waste.

The outcomes of Dr Irving’s research - conducted in partnership with environmental charity WRAP, and funded through a British Academy Innovation Fellowship – have helped inform Scottish legislation on waste management and the circular economy. They have also supported efforts by Leeds City Council and authorities in Wales to engage schoolchildren in the recycling lessons of the past, inspiring them to take action for a more sustainable future.