A day at the recycling centre

One of the most frequent questions that residents ask is about what happens to Westminster's recycled waste, particularly given that we collected all materials for recycling in the same box/bag. Residents are very eager to see that we are disposing on the waste in the most cost effective and environmentally-friendly manner possible. There is also the occasional sceptic who wonders if we simply nip round the corner with the recycling boxes and stick it in with the rest of the rubbish too!

So, I decided to spend an afternoon at the recycling centre where Westminster sends all of its waste for recycling. The centre is based south of the river, in Thamesmead, and has been used by Westminster since it opened. Recycled waste is collected from doorsteps and the 'big black bins' and stored at a collection point in Brent. Every few days a 20 tonne lorry takes all the waste down at once (to reduce the impact on the environment) to Thamesmead for processing.

The facility, which has only been operating for a couple of years, is actually very impressive. All kinds of machines are employed to separate all the waste that is collected (various magnets to remove the aluminium or steel / a huge tumbler to separate the newspaper from plastic etc.) There is even a machine at the end which separates plastic and glass through the medium of infra-red and high-pressure jets of air. And at the very end, a team of professional (and very quick) monitors check to make sure all of the recycled waste has been separated correctly into paper, plastic, glass and the like. Once separated, recycled waste is then sold, via a number of contracts, for use in other industrial processes, both at home and abroad.

Westminster Council is strongly committed to reducing the impact of our rubbish on the environment, but we face considerable problems, not least our city centre location and that space is precious for most of our residents living in flats. It is through facilities like Thamesmead that we are still able to deliver on our commitments to recycling resident's waste.

Westminster's recycling team are intending to run a number of visits to the Thamesmead facility in the next few months for any residents who are interested. Please do get in touch if you'd like to find out more details. You too could be wearing the same funky luminous overcoat as I am in the picture!

Lee

PS Do you have everything you need to recycle? If you need boxes or bags let us know! There are also large boxes available if residents find the smaller ones aren't sufficient for all the waste. We'd be happy to get one ordered for you.