This week’s episode is a little different as Alasdair and Jane hand the mic over to two MSc students linked to the University of Edinburgh and SRUC, showcasing podcasts they created as part of their Resource Recovery and Circular Economy module.

With Episode 100 fast approaching, it feels fitting to highlight the next generation of waste professionals already thinking critically about the future of sustainability.

First up is Angeli Srirangan, currently studying MSc Environmental Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh after transitioning from a marketing career in retail. Drawing on her experience working for a major supermarket, Angeli explores how retailers can reduce excessive packaging and improve recyclability in practice. Her podcast examines Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), reuse schemes like refill systems, and the balance between regulation, innovation and cost. She highlights how design decisions made by retailers can remove millions of tonnes of plastic before it ever reaches consumers — proving that upstream change can have massive downstream impact.

Angeli also reflects on the role of government in accelerating progress, from clearer labelling and reuse targets to material bans and financial incentives for innovation. Her message is clear: while EPR is a step forward, true circularity requires moving beyond recycling towards reduction and reuse.

Next up we have Chizoba Kama, another MSc Environmental Sustainability student at the University of Edinburgh, who previously worked in Nigeria’s environmental sector and as an EcoBarter ambassador encouraging recycling at household level. Her podcast focuses on food redistribution innovations and how global case studies are helping divert food waste from landfill.

Chizoba examines legislative approaches like France’s supermarket donation laws, digital platforms such as Too Good To Go, and community-driven redistribution models in Germany and Japan. She explores both the opportunities and the limitations of redistribution — emphasising that while technology and policy can reduce waste, prevention must always come first. Cultural values, infrastructure, and access all shape whether these systems succeed.

Both podcasts demonstrate thoughtful research, global awareness and a strong understanding that waste management is as much about behaviour, culture and economics as it is about bins and infrastructure.

This episode builds on our ongoing connection with the University of Edinburgh and SRUC’s Resource Recovery and Circular Economy module, led by Jennifer Carfrae from Episode 48. If you haven’t listened to that conversation yet, it’s well worth a catch-up.

Jane and Alasdair also lecture on the Waste and Resources component of the MSc programme, so it’s always a real pleasure to see students take those discussions further and turn their learning into thoughtful, practical podcast projects of their own.

A huge thank you to both students for allowing us to share their work — and to the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy teaching team for continuing to inspire future leaders in the sector.

The future of waste and circular economy thinking is in very capable hands.

Episode 98: Future of Waste: Student Voices from Edinburgh