This week on Rubbish Talk, Alasdair and Jane are joined once again by students from the University of Edinburgh’s MSc programmes — and this time, we feature two powerful student-created podcasts as part of their Resource Recovery and Circular Economy coursework

Cate Satoris, an MSc Environment & Development student originally from North Dakota, explores single-use plastic habits in UK supermarkets. Coming from the United States, Cate was surprised to find that produce in the UK often arrives pre-wrapped in plastic — a choice she hadn’t expected in a country seen as environmentally progressive. Her podcast digs into why so much plastic packaging is still used, the limits of soft plastic take-back schemes, and how policies like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Plastic Packaging Tax aim to shift responsibility back to producers. Cate argues that while recycling schemes help, they are not enough — the real solution lies in eliminating unnecessary packaging at source.

Vanessa Ngwi, an MSc Environmental Sustainability student from Cameroon, turns our attention to a very different but equally urgent waste challenge. Her podcast, “Rethinking Rubbish: Circular Solutions for Cameroon’s Waste Crisis,” explores the reality of overflowing landfills and limited formal waste collection systems. Drawing on personal experience, Vanessa highlights how over half of municipal waste in Cameroon is organic and could be composted locally rather than buried. She proposes a practical two-pillar approach: decentralised community composting combined with Extended Producer Responsibility to fund recycling infrastructure. Her message is clear — high-tech solutions aren’t always the answer; people-centred, practical systems can create real change.

Both podcasts reflect the power of education, international collaboration, and fresh perspectives in tackling global waste challenges. It’s inspiring to hear how students are connecting policy, behaviour change, and lived experience to rethink how we manage resources — whether in Edinburgh, North Dakota, or Yaoundé.

As we approach Episode 100, it’s a reminder that the next generation of waste professionals is already thinking critically and creatively about the future.