There are eight reuse and recycling centres (RRCs) across north London, which currently accept up to 29 different waste streams.
At NLWA, we are always looking for innovative ways to dispose of waste in the most sustainable way possible. That is why our RRCs offer an extensive range of services, allowing you to recycle a wider range of items than you can at home.
From carpets to batteries, you can reuse and recycle much more than you think.
Our sites dealt with 48,874 tonnes of material in 2024/25, with 74% of this being recycled, reused or composted.
Find out how you can help preserve resources and protect the environment by turning your unwanted items into new things.
Meet our staff
There is no need to book at most of our RRCs, and you can arrive by foot, bike or car.
When you turn up, look for the relevant material stream icon to find the right bay for your item. If you need any help, just ask a member of staff.
Watch our videos to meet some of the RRC team and find out how to get rid of the most searched for items on our A-Z of materials.
What can I recycle?
If you’re wondering how to get rid of a specific item, check out our comprehensive A-Z guide of materials. It currently contains information on more than 400 products, with new entries being added all the time.
Mattresses
Mattresses contain up to 17 different materials, and each one can be used to make something new. For example, the inner springs can be melted down and remade into new metal products. The synthetic layers such as foam can be used to make items such as carpet underlay.
Mattresses can be taken to any of our eight reuse and recycling centres in north London. In 2021 we launched our innovative mattress recycling scheme, and estimate that since then a staggering 270,000 mattresses have been saved from going to waste - that’s more than the number of people who live in the borough of Camden!
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Small electricals
Anything that has a cable, plug or battery counts as an electrical item. And if they can’t be repaired, sold or donated, they can be recycled.
Electrical items are full of precious metals such as gold, copper, platinum, lithium, and cobalt which should never go to waste. If you bring them to one of our 8 reuse and recycling centres in North London, we send them away to a specialist facility where the different metals get separated so they can be used in new products such as phones, laptops and even life-saving medical equipment.
If all of our old small electricals got reused or recycled, we would cut as much carbon dioxide as taking 1.3 million cars off the road.
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Paint
In north London, we collect unwanted paint at our reuse and recycling centres and redistribute it to the community for their art projects or DIY jobs. With a staggering 50 million litres of paint going to waste in the UK every year, it is a great way to save money and protect the environment.
If it’s still in good condition, just take your point to one of our dedicated drop-off points.
Any water-based paint, such as emulsion, which is too old to be used can still be brought along to our sites for disposal. Anything oil based, such as gloss or varnish, needs to be disposed of as hazardous waste using a special collection.
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Batteries
Batteries are bad for the environment, highly toxic and can cause fires - which is why they should never be put in your bin. It’s really important to hand them in at special collection points in shops and supermarkets or at any of our eight reuse and recycling centres.
Here in north London, we accept household, lithium and car batteries.
All batteries are difficult to recycle because they are made from so many different materials. We send them to specialist facilities where valuable metals are extracted at high temperatures and can be used to make new batteries or other electronics. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries contain nickel and cobalt, common household alkaline batteries have zinc in them, and car batteries contain lead.
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Published date
9 March 2026