Additional items for recycling

We collect small electrical items, household batteries, and clothing including shoes from your property along with your green bin on your collection day. Batteries will be recycled, while clothing and small electrical items will be reused if suitable, and recycled if they are not fit for reuse. For Pod recycling, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

Additional items need to be placed in a carrier bag on top of your recycling bin on your scheduled collection day. Please do not put additional items in your recycling bin. Please note that additional items must not be placed in black sacks.

This means: 

• more materials than ever are eligible to be recycled from your doorstep
• it’s never been easier to have spare items collected for reuse
• waste is being reduced even further 

In 2019 the Council declared a Climate Emergency and committed to reducing the borough’s impact on climate change. This includes making sure every household is given a standard sized refuse bin. By increasing the amount of recycling collected, Waltham Forest can take a significant step towards improving its impact on the global environment. 

Currently, the Council recycles 31.9% of its waste, meaning over 50% of waste is not recycled. Every year £300,000 of taxpayers money is spent disposing of contaminated materials that could have been recycled. We need to do better; recycling saves energy, costs less to deal with and frees up space in your refuse bin.

When will the new items be collected?

On your normal weekly recycling collection day. 

If you live in a flat with communal bins, please take your items to your nearest recycling bank.

What counts as a small electrical item?

Small electrical items which include items as toasters, kettles, hairdryers, irons, shavers, phones, electric toothbrushes, games consoles, can be recycled from the kerbside. 

These items should be no bigger than 52cm x 51cm in size and placed in a plastic carrier bag on top of the two wheeled bins on bin collection day.

What clothing will you collect?

We will pick up pairs of shoes, tops, shirts, trousers, jeans, skirts, tights, socks, hats, scarves, gloves, jumpers, hoodies and more. Your items of clothing should be placed inside a carrier bag and left on top of your bin on your collection day.

What batteries will you collect?

Small household batteries including button batteries and batteries from mobile phones and laptops. Your batteries should be placed inside a carrier bag and left on top of your bin on your collection day.

What if your bag of additional items was missed for collection?

Please log into your self account to report a missed additional item collection and let us know what was missed so it can be collected.

Pod collection service

Waltham Forest Council is working with Podback to provide this pioneering new service, enabling you to recycle your coffee, tea and hot chocolate pods every week as part of your normal kerbside waste and recycling collections. Further information on Pod recycling.