London Recycles

Reducing pressure on council waste and recycling teams is critical at times like these, when services are stretched. If you're getting new appliances like TVs, fridges, washing machines or smaller items delivered, why not ask the company if they can take away your old items? It means you don't have to book a council collection, and your old stuff might get re-furbished and recycled for someone else who needs it. Win-win.

Street cleaners and bin crews are out there every day making sure that waste and recycling is collected and we're all kept safe from rubbish piling up. But lots of the crews are telling us that they keep finding dirty tissues and disposable gloves just thrown away on the street - and then they have to pick them up and dispose of them! Please be considerate of the people taking care of our rubbish and recycling, and put dirty tissues and used gloves into a bin instead of just chucking them on the ground (not cool!). Thanks everyone.

Our dedicated bin crews across London are working really hard to keep collecting your rubbish and make sure your recycling bins are emptied as often as possible during the Covid-19 outbreak – but as most of us are now staying at home, it means more household waste, which puts more pressure on waste and recycling services. Try and reduce, re-use and recycle all you can and wait until the crisis is over to have any big clear outs

Like other critical industries, staff shortages could affect your bin collections, so councils are doing all they can to mitigate this risk. To ensure your core service continues, your local council might have to temporarily change or stop some non-essential collection services like garden and bulky waste. Check our page which has the latest updates and links to all council sites with local information and guidance. https://londonrecycles.co.uk/covid19_wast e_recycling_servic…

Help your bin crews, who are doing an amazing job in very difficult times, by keeping your waste to a minimum and avoiding doing big clear-outs while you’re stuck at home. This just puts extra pressure on the council collection teams, who may also be struggling with staff shortages due to sickness, and could affect your core recycling and rubbish collections that they’re trying to maintain. Also be aware that most local household tips and recycling centres are closed now in London, so hold on to anything you were planning to take to the tip until the crisis has eased! Check our web page for updates and latest advice https://londonrecycles.co.uk/covid19_wast e_recycling_servic…

We’ll be providing regular updates on recycling and rubbish during the COVID-19 crisis on our dedicated web page, Twitter and Insta accounts– so keep checking in for the latest info and advice. Check your council’s website for updates regularly, as things can change quickly at the moment depending on local circumstances. Links to all the council web pages are on our web page. http://ow.ly/p3GV50yXKQa

Packaging manufacturers need your paper, card, plastics, glass and cans more than ever before – for packaging essential medicines and food. Keep recycling! London’s councils are still collecting!

Most local household tips and recycling centres are closed now in London, so please hold off on having any big clear outs and hold on to anything you were planning to take to the tip until the crisis has eased! DM us or comment with any questions.

We don't want our fantastic bin crews to get ill and stop collecting recycling and rubbish. If you’re ill and self-isolating, please put any potentially infected items like used tissues or cleaning cloths into separate plastic bags, double-bag and tie them securely. These bags should then be put aside for at least 72 hours (3 days) before you put them into your external bin because they’re still contagious.

Most recycling and rubbish collections are going ahead as normal so please keep reducing, re-using and recycling as much as possible. COVID-19 may impact your local service though, so keep up to speed with the latest updates from your local council. Our web page has all the latest advice and links to council information pages. https://londonrecycles.co.uk/covid19_wast e_recycling_servic…

COVID-19 has significantly changed life for us all. Whatever else might happen, London's councils are working hard to make sure your bins are still collected in the coming weeks and months. But there may be disruptions and changes, so please bear with us. Check our web page for the latest advice and info https://bit.ly/2QKv0W8

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of change and bad news. We hope all of you are staying safe and well in this challenging period. If any of you have some spare time and would like to support those in need, then please consider volunteering with The National Care Force. There are a variety of roles including doing someone’s food shop/cleaning/laundry, as well as roles specifically for health care workers and care providers. 💚 https://bit.ly/2vLOcLR

Although tissues are made of paper, they are made from very short paper fibres, which are not high enough quality to be recycled. You should throw your tissues in your rubbish bin. If you have a home compost heap, you can stick your tissues in there though.

The government has released the following advice for dealing with waste in households where there might be a coronavirus infection:
When cleaning you should use your usual household products, like detergents and bleach, as these will be very effective at getting rid of the virus on surfaces. Clean frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, handrails, remote controls and table tops. This is particularly important if you have an older or vulnerable person in the house.
P...ersonal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin.
Other household waste can be disposed of as normal.
For more advice, check the government COVID-19 page.
Stay safe everyone and look after each other in this difficult time 💚
https://www.gov.uk/…/stay-at-home-guida nce-for-households-w…
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Did you know that in the UK, whilst 38 million items of new clothing are bought every week, 11 million end up in landfill?
Don't throw clothes in the bin! Give clothes you no longer want to friends and family, donate them to a charity shop or take them to a recycling bank. Check out Love Not Landfill for lots of tips and to find out where their clothes banks are located!

We love this idea for re-purposing wrenches!

Don't throw your batteries in the bin! Batteries can be recycled and some councils collect them as part of their service. Most of the time though, you'll need to drop them in a battery recycling bin at your local supermarket ♻

Cling film can't be recycled at home or at supermarket plastic bag collection points, so it should go in your rubbish bin.
Invest in some reusable food wraps to reduce your waste footprint!