What items do I have to recycle?
Paper – all paper can be recycled, including newspapers, magazines, leaflets, catalogues, yellow pages and telephone directories. In the black box scheme shredded paper should be wrapped in a large sheet of paper, such as newspaper but this is not necessary for the mixed recycling scheme.
Cardboard - in the black box scheme cardboard must be a maximum size of 28in x 18in / 71cm x 45cm however size is not restricted in the mixed recycling scheme.
Glass bottles and jars – rinse and remove all tops (these cannot be recycled). Other glass items, like light bulbs, cannot be collected by the kerbside service.
Food and drink cans and foil – rinse and flatten if possible.
Plastic bottles – rinse, remove tops (these cannot be recycled as they are made from a different type of plastic) and squash so they take up less space in your box.
» More on recycling plastic bottles
The following items can only be recycled in the black box scheme:
Textiles – such as clothes, curtains, sheets and blankets. Place textiles in a plastic bag to keep dry. No pillows or duvets please.
Shoes – tie together in pairs
Household batteries – place in a tied-up bag
Car batteries – place next to your black recycling box
Engine oil – put in a sealed container in your box
You can download a handy 'What has to go in the box?' reminder card to keep at home.
Are you introducing fortnightly refuse collection as part of Compulsory Recycling?
No, not at the moment. Weekly rubbish and recycling collections will continue to operate.
Will you be changing the recycling collection days?
Collection days may change due to the increased amounts of recycling that needs to be collected. Residents will be notified of any proposed collection day change.
How can I find out my recycling collection day?
» Go to My Place and enter your address using the address search or contact Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000.
How will Compulsory Recycling be enforced?
Recycling collections are emptied weekly so it will be easy to monitor which households are not taking part in the scheme. Recycling assistants will visit households who do not regularly recycle to explain the scheme and encourage residents to participate.
Residents who continue not to recycle will receive warnings and could be liable for a £100 fixed penalty notice. Residents refusing to pay this notice will be taken to court, where they could face a fine of up to £1,000.
What happens if I am away and don’t put any recycling out?
The Council is trying to encourage recycling, not trying to catch residents out. We will only be following up with residents who regularly do not recycle.
Is Compulsory Recycling legal?
Under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Waltham Forest Council can legally ask residents to use particular containers for different waste streams. Therefore, the Council does not allow residents to place paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, food and drink cans, plastic bottles, textiles, shoes, batteries and engine oil in the wheeled rubbish bin. A container is provided for these materials.
Can I use other recycling facilities instead of my recycling container?
Residents can use one of the three main recycling sites, or the mini-recycling centres across the borough.
» See Recycling facilities
If you do use alternative methods of recycling other than black recycling box, please contact Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000 so we can keep a record that you do recycle.
What if I am physically unable to lift my container?
Residents can request an assisted collection. Please contact Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000.
Can I recycle Tetra Pak cartons in my container?
Tetra Pak cartons cannot currently be collected from your doorstep recycling container. You can take Tetra Pak cartons and other food and drink cartons to be recycled at several sites in Waltham Forest:
- Sainsburys, Walthamstow Avenue, E4
- Pool and Track, off Chingford Road E17
- South Access Road Recycling Centre, Walthamstow E17
- Kings Road Recycling Centre, Chingford E4
- Leyton Recycling Centre, (near Asda store)
Where should I leave my recycling container?
Leave your container at the edge of your property, clearly visible and near to the gate, by 6am on your collection day.
If I cannot fit all my recycling into my container can I leave at the side?
If you occasionally have more recycling than you can fit in your container you can sort the excess items into different carrier bags and place them next to your box as long as the size is no larger than 28in x 18in / 71cm x 45cm. Each carrier bag must contain only one material, such as glass or paper, as the contents of the bags cannot be sorted at the roadside.
If you are in the black box scheme additional boxes can be obtained free of charge by using the online order form or by contacting Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000.
Who collects the recycling?
The recycling is collected by our contractor Verdant, who provide a weekly refuse collection, a weekly recycling collection and a fortnightly garden and kitchen waste collection service.
What happens to recycled materials collected separately?
Glass - is crushed and processed at Berryman in Dagenham, Essex, to be made into new bottles or jars.
Cans - are taken to Edwards in Barking to be sorted, before being transferred to AMG Resources Ltd in Llanelli, Wales where they are recycled into new cans. Recycling cans saves huge amounts of energy and resources – recycling an aluminium can uses only 5% of the energy and produces only 5% of the CO2 compared to making a new one, and steel cans be recycled indefinitely.
Paper - is taken to Aylesford Newsprint in Kent for processing into recycled newsprint for the newspaper industry.
Cardboard - is taken to Edwards in Barking for reprocessing into new cardboard.
Plastic bottles - are sorted into the different plastic types at Indigo Waste Services in Thetford, Norfolk, to be recycled into more bottles and other plastic products like guttering and even clothing!
Textiles and shoes - are taken to LM Barry in Stratford. Textiles are sorted and good condition clothing is sent to developing countries, along with shoes. Remaining textiles are cut up and used for industrial cleaning clothes.
Batteries - are recycled at G&P batteries in Darlaston, Staffordshire. Batteries are shredded and separated into components that can be recycled, like gypsum, and waste materials like water and acid which are treated.
Engine oil - is collected by Eco Oils and processed in either of three ways:
- recovered and reintroduced to market for its original use
- recovered as a base oil for reintroduction to the lube oil market
- recycled as a fuel oil for industrial use
What happens to mixed recycling?
Mixed recycling is taken to a regional materials recycling facility where the items are separated and sent to be recycled. Your recycling is transformed into the recycled items you can buy in the shops. For example it takes just seven days to recycle paper into newsprint.
Cans - are taken to Glazewing Limited in Norfolk for sorting into steel and aluminium, before being made into new cans. Recycling cans saves huge amounts of energy and resources - recycling an aluminium can uses only 5% of the energy and produces only 5% of the CO2 compared to making a new one, and steel cans be recycled indefinitely.
» See the Blue Peter join a recycling collection video explaining what happens to recycling on the Greenstar web site.
