As the UK's Labour government prepares a new strategy for sustainable waste management, this article considers the efficacy of the previous Conservative government's endeavours. Confusion over the relative merits of reclamation, incineration and landfill has diverted attention from the key priority of minimising waste and increasing recycling. This article considers the muddled aspirations of the Conservative government's policy; its reliance on indirect policy instruments; the capacity of local authorities to respond to these aspirations; and the suggestibility of the greater waste management system. Sustainability may require more sweeping a reconfiguration of the waste management system than has hitherto been considered.