WRWA is happy to support Recycle Week and to encourage residents to take recycling into its own hands and take action to protect our environment.

The year so far has been one of protests and marches. People have had enough of the status quo; things need to change urgently. Inspired by Our Planet, Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough – environmental concerns have never been so important to the nation. Last year we saw people being more motivated to recycle and 2018 was the biggest Recycle Week to date, but 2019 promises to be bigger and better!

For its 17th annual Recycle Week (23rd – 29th September), Recycle Now is capitalising on this heightened awareness and energy right here in the WRWA area (within the Boroughs of Wandsworth, Lambeth, Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham); tasking residents – and people all over the UK – to act and focus on getting recycling right during Recycle Week.

Getting recycling right

Latest research from Recycle Now reveals that over 60% of UK households are now recycling more than they were a year ago because of environmental concerns.

The research shows that more and more UK households are recycling plastic drinks, cleaner, toiletry and shampoo bottles, amongst other items including glass and metal tin cans. The level of increase of glass and metal/tin cans is at a slightly lower level compared to the other items cited. Nearly a third of these people cite environmental concerns as the main reason for doing more and others attribute it to an increased awareness of what can be recycled. Whilst the research showed an increase in recycling, it also showed that UK households sometimes incorrectly put items like nappies, toys and toothpaste tubes in the recycling bin.

There are some simple things that we can all do to make our recycling even better.

Top tips for recycling in one of our four constituent Boroughs:

Recycle more of these items:

  • Paper and card/cardboard (excluding shredded paper)
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Plastic bottles, pots tubs and trays
  • Cans and tins (except aerosols, which have a tendency to explode at the plant)
  • Food/drinks cartons (e.g. TetraPaks)

Make sure these never go in the recycling bin:

  • Food Waste
  • Nappies
  • Shredded Paper
  • Clothing &textiles
  • Electricals and Cables
  • Foil

And if you’re at all unsure about how to recycle a specific item, not listed above, just look on the A-Z pages on our website for some advice – the link to the A-Z is here

What and how we recycle really matters. Recycling an item rather than throwing it in the rubbish bin means that it will be dealt with in the most environmentally friendly way, keeping materials in use and out of the environment.