Why recycle?

Recycled Products

Recycling saves energy, reuses valuable resources and helps to protect the environment:

  • We produce nearly 100,000 tonnes of rubbish every year from homes in Waltham Forest - more than 60% of this could be recycled
  • One plastic carrier bag takes 500 years to breakdown in landfill - we use 150 million bags each week in the UK!
  • Landfill space in the UK is set to run out in the next nine years if we don’t recycle more
  • Recycling an aluminium drinks can uses only 5% of the energy used to make a new one, and produces only 5% of CO2

See more facts about recycling on Recycle Now

The government has set ambitious recycling targets for local councils. Currently we recycle 29% of our rubbish in Waltham Forest, but we need to increase this to 33% by the end of March 2008 and 50% by 2012. If we don’t meet these targets, the borough will receive heavy fines, which will affect residents Council Tax bills

The new partnership with Verdant, Waltham Forest’s waste managment contractor, started in April 2007 and aims meet the government targets, to ensure that we do not get fined. Verdant are responsible for collecting both the rubbish and the recycling in the borough.

Learn more about recycling

The Council's Waste Hut is used for promotions, open days, presentations, activity weeks in the school holidays and for school educational visits and is also available for organised visits by groups. Waste can be fun!

more on the Waste Hut recycling education centre

Contact us

Public Realm
Environment and Regeneration
Low Hall
Argall Avenue
London E10 7AS
email wfdirect@walthamforest.gov.uk
tel 020 8496 3000