Waste & Recycling

• Introduction
• Information For Residents
  • Reduce
  • Reuse
  • Recycle
• Information For Business
  • Waste Prevention
  • Recycling
• Information for Schools
  • Waste Prevention
  • Recycling
• Campaigns
  • No Junk Mail 2010
• How To Get Involved
  • Love Food Hate Waste Roadshows 2010
• Reuse and Recycling Centres

Waste Facts

• Almost 1 million tonnes of rubbish is produced in North London every year (enough to fill 8 football stadiums top to bottom)

• By 2020 we will be generating up to 44% more per year (that's another 4 football stadiums!)

• Throwing away rubbish is expensive - by 2011 the tax alone for sending waste to landfill will be £48 per tonne - around 8 times the cost to landfill a tonne of waste in 1996.

Information For Residents

Reduce

We can all reduce the amount of waste we produce on a weekly basis. By carrying out a number of simple, easy to do actions, you could save money too. Here are some suggestions:

At the supermarket:

• Shop smart! Bring your own reusable bags when you go shopping and you can help reduce the 10billion plastic bags that are handed out by supermarkets each year. Some shops now make a charge for plastic carrier bags, so it could also save you money.
• Make the most out of the food you buy - The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that the average household could save up to £50 per month by wasting less food. Visit the dedicated north London Love Food Hate Waste section on our website for tips on how to reduce your food waste. You will also find some fantastic recipe ideas from north London residents for using up those unwanted leftovers.
• Avoid packaging and look for unpackaged products like loose fruit and vegetables.
• Avoid disposable items that are used once and then thrown away. There are alternative products which can be reused, for example rechargeable batteries, razors (where the head can be replaced rather than the whole item) and low energy light bulbs.

At home:

• Avoid unwanted junk mail by registering with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) which stops junk mail being sent to your home. To find out more and register to the scheme please click here
• Use real (reusable) nappies  as an alternative to disposable nappies. Modern washable nappies come in great-looking, easy-to-use designs and can save you around £500 per baby if you wash your own. Residents of all seven north London boroughs can claim the £54.15 nappy subsidy via their local council. To find out more contact your local council.
• Compost at home Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. Composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually, or your washing machine produces in three months. For more tips visit - www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/index.htm
• For those of you that want to compost but don't have access to a garden you can try wormeries. Wormeries are easy and fun to use: simply add your worms and then your waste food; after a few months your worms will have eaten it all and left behind a fantastic fertiliser and a nutrient-rich liquid which can be diluted for use as plant food.

Try to store food in reusable containers instead of using cling film as this cannot be recycled. Use towels, rags, and sponges for cleaning and dusting. Keep a large enough supply of rags and wash cloths so you will always have some clean ones. Use old bed sheets and curtains but even if you need to buy a supply of small towels and wash cloths to get yourself started, the initial cost will be quickly offset by your reduced need to buy disposable substitutes, and you might think they work better than disposables.