According to the latest Waste Data Flow statistics which was analysed by AWM, 191 tonnes of DVDs, CDs, and Video tapes were discarded across the borough in the first three months of 2024. That puts Hillingdon fourth in the UK overall, just behind West Sussex, East Riding, and Hull.
Other London boroughs such as Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham and Lambeth also featured in the UK’s top 10 for media disposal, showing that the trend is strong across the capital.
This trend could reflect a broader shift in how the nation consumes music, film, TV and gaming driven by:
· The convenience of on-demand streaming services
· Spring-cleaning and decluttering habits post-pandemic
· A generational shift away from physical collections
Speaking on the findings, Colin Hayes from AWM said: “We all knew physical media was in decline, but these figures really show how fast it’s disappearing from our homes. Nearly 200 tonnes in just one borough is remarkable, that’s thousands of shelves being cleared and wardrobes emptied at a staggering rate.”
“There’s something sadly nostalgic about this shift. We’re not just streaming more, we’re physically saying goodbye to a whole era of how we watched, listened and collected.”
