Privacy Policy — Rubbish Talk

Last updated: June 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Talk (“Rubbish Talk,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), operated via rubbishtalk.com, collects, uses, and shares information about you when you visit or interact with our website. Please read it carefully.

By using rubbishtalk.com, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the site.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

  • Contact form: When you submit a message via our contact form, we collect your first name, last name, email address, and the content of your message.
  • Newsletter subscription: When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address.
  • Contributor applications: If you apply to become a contributor, we collect any information you provide in that process.

Information collected automatically

When you visit rubbishtalk.com, certain information is collected automatically, including:

  • IP address and approximate geographic location
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type and operating system
  • Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 4)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Operate and improve the website
  • Respond to enquiries submitted via the contact form
  • Send newsletters to subscribers who have opted in
  • Serve and manage advertising (see Section 3)
  • Analyse site traffic and user behaviour via analytics tools
  • Comply with legal obligations

3. Advertising

Google AdSense

Rubbish Talk participates in Google AdSense, an advertising service provided by Google LLC. Google AdSense uses cookies, device identifiers, and other tracking technologies to serve advertisements based on your prior visits to this and other websites across the internet.

What this means for you:

  • Google and its partners use cookies stored on your browser to collect data about your browsing behaviour and use that data to deliver personalised advertisements.
  • Data collected may include cookies, device identifiers, location information, and information about your interaction with ads and the websites you visit.
  • Google uses this data in accordance with its own Privacy Policy, available at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Opting out of personalised ads:

Direct Ad Placements

In addition to Google AdSense, Rubbish Talk may serve advertisements directly from third-party advertisers or advertising networks. These advertisers may also use cookies, web beacons, tracking pixels, or similar technologies to:

  • Measure the performance of their advertisements
  • Deliver ads targeted to your interests based on your browsing behaviour
  • Track whether you have seen or interacted with a specific ad

Rubbish Talk does not control the data collection practices of third-party advertisers. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any advertiser whose ads appear on this site.

What We Share with Advertisers

Rubbish Talk does not sell your personal information to advertisers. Advertisers on rubbishtalk.com receive aggregated, non-personally-identifiable information about audience demographics and site performance. Editorial content is not influenced by advertising relationships.

4. Cookies

Rubbishtalk.com uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to operate essential site functions, analyse traffic, and serve advertising.

Types of cookies used on this site:

  • Essential cookies: Required for the site to function. Cannot be disabled.
  • Analytics cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with the site (e.g. Google Analytics via Google Site Kit). Data is anonymised where possible.
  • Advertising cookies: Placed by Google AdSense and third-party advertisers to deliver and measure ads (see Section 3).
  • Preference cookies: Used to remember your settings and choices.

Managing cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality. For more information on managing cookies, visit https://www.allaboutcookies.org.

5. Analytics

Rubbish Talk uses Google Analytics (via Google Site Kit) to collect anonymised data about how visitors use the site. This includes pages visited, time on site, traffic sources, and device information. This data is used solely to understand and improve site performance. Google Analytics data is processed in accordance with Google’s privacy policy.

6. Third-Party Links

Rubbishtalk.com may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

7. Data Retention

  • Contact form submissions: Retained for as long as necessary to respond to your enquiry, then deleted.
  • Newsletter subscriptions: Retained until you unsubscribe.
  • Analytics data: Retained in accordance with Google Analytics’ data retention settings (default: 26 months).
  • Advertising data: Managed by Google and third-party advertisers per their own retention policies.

8. Your Rights

Depending on where you are located, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

All users

  • The right to know what data we hold about you
  • The right to request correction of inaccurate data
  • The right to request deletion of your data
  • The right to opt out of personalised advertising (see Section 3)
  • The right to unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time

California residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, including:

  • The right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
  • The right to delete personal information we hold about you
  • The right to opt out of the sale of personal information. Rubbish Talk does not sell personal information.
  • The right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 11.

EEA, UK, and other international users

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with data protection laws, you may have rights under applicable law including access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, and data portability. To submit a request, contact us via the contact form on rubbishtalk.com, marking your message clearly as a privacy request.

9. Children’s Privacy

Rubbish Talk is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For privacy requests, questions, or concerns about this policy, please use the contact form at rubbishtalk.com/contact and mark your message clearly as a privacy request. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

This Privacy Policy applies to rubbishtalk.com only.