After the inferno: pictures from the aftermath of Sims Metal scrapyard fire in Bristol

Here in the UK we have the incredible fortune to get rid of things and not have to think about where they go. Busted old coffee machines, toys our children grew out of, outmoded microwaves, worn-out tyres and plastic packaging for snacks. We know they don't just fade into nothingness, but for us they might as well. We bin them or recycle them if we can, and then we forget about them. These are the kind of items that went up in flames in yesterday's huge fire at Sims Metal, in Bristol.

Occasionally a disquieting glimpse of reality will intrude on us: maybe we'll step on abandoned crisp packets like autumn leaves underfoot in Lawrence Hill or find beer cans among the sand at Weston-super-Mare. Maybe you'll be flicking through TV channels and stumble on a documentary about the Great Specific Garbage Patch (Americans had the honour of naming of, I guess) or turtles with bellies full of party balloons.

But we can choose not to think about it if we don't want to. After all, a lot of us can't really do anything about it. Have you ever tried to go zero waste? It's a very expensive and for many a frankly impossible venture, an option only really available to the shrinking middle class. Forget about it. But yesterday afternoon, Saturday, December 14, Bristolians were forced to remember.

Seven tonnes of scrap went up in flames at Sims Metal, in Gatton Road, black plumes of smoke rising in the air like a warning shot to humanity from mid-afternoon.

Seven fire engines were needed to tackle the seven tonnes of burning plastic and general detritus. Four jets were used to tackle the flames. Residents were advised to keep their windows and doors closed, to prevent the toxic fumes from entering homes. We may have forgotten the things we get rid of. The things we get rid of have not forgotten us.

The cause of the fire, as of yesterday, is unknown. There are not believed to have been any injuries.

This morning our incredibly talented photographer Paul Gillis captured the aftermath on a pearlescent grey Saturday morning. Most of the debris is charred beyond recognition, but you can make out a few things people loved then left. A little red toy car that a little boy somewhere grew out of stands out in particular.

In another image you can make out what appears to be a child's toy motorcycle jutting haphazardly out of a burnt black railing. An observant eye may also make out computer hardware- a once shiny new piece of tech that slowly sputtered into obsolescence over the years.

Is this our fault? Well, not really. A lot of tech is designed to slowly get worse over time so you have to keep buying replacements. And a parent can't stop their child growing out of their toys. And let's not forget that the scrapyard is here to repurpose these things where possible, to give them new life.

But there's a strange poetry to being asked to keep our doors and windows shut as the spectre of our lifestyles comes back to haunt us. Today, we see the smouldered remains of yesterday's fire, the things we've forgotten crying out for attention.