North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has this month launched a new trial service at its reuse and recycling centre to offer a place for Barnet residents to deposit unwanted DIY materials. Items like handfuls of bricks, left over slabs, odd tiles or that extra bit of timber from home improvement projects are now available for other local residents to take for free to help them finish their projects.
North London residents can drop off leftover DIY supplies to Summers Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre in Barnet so that they can be offered to someone else who wants them, for free. The trial service is running well at South Access Road Reuse and Recycling Centre in Waltham Forest with residents already collecting a range of materials they wish to reuse, including tiles, sinks and even a chimney. If the scheme continues to prove successful, NLWA will look to roll it out at its other reuse and recycling centres.
The initiative could save tonnes of DIY material each year from going to waste, as well as helping residents save money, particularly important during the current cost of living crisis.
This new offer will complement the existing Community Repaint scheme available at the majority of north London reuse and recycling centres, which enables residents to drop off and collect leftover paint. NLWA also puts aside other reusable items brought to its recycling centres, such as furniture, toys and homewares to sell at its ReUse Shop in Chingford.
Cllr Alan Schneiderman, NLWA Member and Chair of Barnet’s Environment and Climate Change Committee, said: “Through this new scheme, we’re putting useful materials back into circulation in the local community. This is the circular economy in action and just one more way that we’re helping residents to reduce their waste and save money. The new scheme also aligns with our BarNET ZERO campaign, helping us on our way to becoming one of London’s most sustainable boroughs.”
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