BBC2's Wastemen is far from rubbish
The series delved into our bins and the daily lives of Newcastle's bin men – and had quite the effect on viewers...
Rubbish. It's not exactly a sexy topic, but BBC2's fly-on-the-wall show about Newcastle's binmen has been a surprisingly absorbing watch. Observing what happens to all the stuff we throw away provided a shocking insight into just how wasteful we really are, and the camaraderie between the men on-screen was funny and heartwarming. Above all, it made you truly respect those who do the job.
In yesterday's final episode we got a look at the Byker waste-processing plant where they transform 100 tonnes of uneaten food into compost every single day. Every day! It was enough to make you race to your fridge and guzzle down those soft, sad-looking tomatoes you'd forgotten about. The sheer amount of waste we generate outraged plenty of viewers, and got others calling for a little less careless throwing-away, and a lot more recycling.
Catching up on #Wastemen , well impressed with @SITAUK Byker Plant .... Absolutely amazing what it does. #RecycleReuseReduce
— Ryan Sheehan (@R_Sheehan_92) April 30, 2015
Newcastle pays Sweden to burn its rubbish which provides electricity for Sweden. Why don't we do it for our own electricity? #wastemen
— Gary Mills (@gazmi66) May 12, 2015
And as the Twitter debates about rubbish raged on, this excellent suggestion caught RadioTimes.com's eye. BBC2 commissioners, if you're reading...
@BBCTwo We need a spin off of #Wastemen, a reality show with @antanddec doing a shift at Byker waste plant ?
— Lisa W (@UKLisaW) April 28, 2015
All three episodes of Wastemen are available to watch on BBC iPlayer
