Recycling in Southwark

Recycling news

• De -clutter and save waste going to landfill - do toys, kitchenware, baby items, small electrical appliances or unwanted presents clutter your cupboards? Or perhaps you are looking for something useful for free?
  
  Veolia Environmental Services, on behalf of Southwark Council, are running a Give and Take Day with People’s Republic of Southwark. This is a great opportunity for residents to clear out unwanted items and get something in return.
  
  Items for the day should be brought to the Synergy Centre between 11.30am and 12.30pm on October 11. The event will be open free to the public between 12.30pm and 3.00pm. In addition there will be a number of stalls providing information on local environmental services.
  
  
• Composting and wormery workshops are free for Southwark residents needing advice on getting the most out of their compost bin or wormery.
  
  Compost bins workshop - Thursday October 9 2008 at Centre for Wildlife Garden, 28 Marsden Road, Peckham SE15 5EE, at 5.30pm
  
  To book a place, to find out more, or register interest for future events, please contact Ben Snowden at ben.snowden@veolia.co.uk or on 0207 525 2490.
  
  
• We are organising 'Nappuccinos' across Southwark, for parents to find out more about reusable washable nappies. If you would like to receive more information please contact Tom Newman on 020 7525 2430 or at tom.newman@veolia.co.uk.
  
  
• You can now recycle the Yellow Pages using either your blue reusable bag, clear bag, or local recycling centre.
  
  
• Southwark Council, in partnership with Veolia Environmental Services, has joined the Real Nappies for London campaign.  Parents, and expectant parents, can apply for a £40 voucher to buy washable nappies or join a nappy laundry service.
  
  
• Food and drink cartons, eg Tetra Paks, can now be brought to be recycled at Manor Place Household Waste Reuse and Recycling Centre and the Sainsbury's located on Dog Kennel Hill.
  
  
• The opening hours of Southwark's Household Waste Reuse and Recycling Centre have been extended, to make recycling even easier for residents.
  
  
• Household battery recycling facilities have been further extended, with collection tubes now located at all libraries, taking the total number of collection points in the borough to 14. Battery collection tubes are located across the borough that accept all kinds of household batteries, such as standard, rechargeable, mobile phone and laptop batteries.
  
  
• Textiles recycling banks are increasingly accessible in Southwark, with more banks for recycling clothes and shoes (pdf 40kb) having been recently installed. To view the pdf document, you will need Adobe Reader.
  
  
• Energy saving lightbulbs can be brought to Manor Place Depot's Household Waste Reuse and Recycling Centre to be recycled.
  
  
• Recycling facilities locator - Recycle for London has updated their recycling facilities locator, simply enter in your postcode to check all recycling facilities near you.

To deal with the growing waste problem we have launched the resource programme to make sure we recycle half of our rubbish by 2020/2021.

Recycling has never been easier

Reducing, reusing and recycling means sending less of your rubbish to landfill. This is better for the environment and means that the money we save through avoiding disposal charges can be spent elsewhere. If you haven't recycled before, now's the time to start. And if you're already a keen recycler, see if you can do more.

Everyone in Southwark can recycle paper, card, cardboard, plastic bottles, cans, and glass. The different recycling services make it easy for you to recycle, wherever you live in the borough.

Southwark's recycling services

Your local recycling centre

Take your recycling to your nearest local recycling centres. There are over 500 centres across Southwark, helping to make it easy for you to recycle. At most local recycling centres you can recycle paper, card, cardboard, plastic bottles, cans, and glass bottles and jars. Some of the centres also have textiles and shoe banks (pdf 40kb). To view the pdf document, you will need Adobe Reader.

The blue box and bag scheme

If you live at a street based property you can use a blue box and bag to recycle. Use your blue bag for paper, card, cardboard and your blue box for glass bottles and jars, food and drink cans, plastic bottles, food trays, pots and tubs.

The clear bag scheme

If you are part of the clear bag recycling scheme you can use your clear bag to recycle paper, card, cardboard, cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars. Find out whether you are part of the clear bag recycling scheme.  

The garden waste scheme  

If you live in a property with a garden we can collect garden waste from you every two weeks, throughout the year as part of our garden waste collection scheme. You can use a green reusable bag, brown wheelie bin or single use paper bag, depending on your needs.

It doesn't stop there. There are a lot of other things you can recycle. Find out about other ways to recycle.

Report a problem or request a container for recycling

Use our online forms to report a missed collection or that a recycling bank is full.  You can also complete a form to request a new container to use a recycling service.

Report a problem

• Report non collection of a blue box or blue bag
• Report non collection of your garden waste
• Report non collection of your clear bag
• Report full recycling banks or other problems at recycling centres

Request a container for recycling

• Request a new or replacement blue box, blue bag or accessories
• Request a new garden waste bin or bag
• Request a clear bag

Identity fraud

Please be aware that to protect yourself from identity fraud you should not throw away or recycle entire bills, receipts, credit or debit card slips, bank statements or even unwanted post in your name.

Destroy unwanted documents, preferably by using a shredder or deleting your name, before placing them out for recycling. All shredded documentation must be placed in the paper and cardboard recycling bag and placed outside your property in a visible area ready for collection.

If you are taking part in Southwark Council's Tag It To Bag It competition, please note that you do not need to put your name on your tag, only your address. Here you can find more information on identity fraud.

Contact us

For further information on Southwark's recycling services, please contact us.

Recycling unit
Tel: 020 7525 2000
environment@southwark.gov.uk
30-34 Penrose Street
London
SE17 3DW