The council should start collecting more stuff!!

@i love cars
Currently the council collect a number of materials from the kerbside and estates, these materials are: paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, tins, cans and plastic bottles. The council also provide a garden waste collection service which costs £10 for 10 green sacks.

The council is currently in negotiations with the company that process recyclables in the borough to add mixed plastics and tetra-paks (juice cartons) to this list. In the mean time tetra-paks can be recycled at:

Sainsbury’s New Cross Gate
Sainsburys Forest Hill
Laurence House car park in Catford
Grove Park Bus Garage Baring Road
Tesco Lewisham

If you want to recycle your mixed plastics you can take them to Sainsbury’s New Cross Gate and Sainsburys Sava Centre, Southend Lane. These sites will also accept batteries and energy saving lightbulbs (picture below)



Lewisham council also provide a free collection service for mattresses and the Reuse and Recycle Centre can be used for free to get rid of items of household waste.

Batteries can be recycled in all primary schools and libraries throughout the borough and the council are about to launch battery recycling from your doorstep!

Why not have a look at their website to see what else can be recycled at lewisham councils website

Why can I only put plastic bottles in my recycling?

Veolia, the contractor that sorts and separates all the recyclable material for Lewisham Council stipulate that they want plastic bottles only. Whilst many residents are keen to add yoghurt pots, margarine tubs and plastic food packaging etc, to their recycling collections, Veolia say that there isn’t a market or demand for this kind of material and hence are reluctant to collect it.

Veolia also state that if they were to collect mixed plastics, they would need to shut down their sorting plant so that they can retro-fit additional machinery to capture this kind of material.

The Council however are still keen to press Veolia for a solution to this kind of material so that residents are able to put mixed plastics into their green bins or green boxes. In the meantime however, residents must continue to either try to reduce the amount of mixed plastics they purchase or dispose of this type of plastic using their refuse bin.