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Recycling
Bridget Walsh on 14 September, 2011 |

While it is often nice to have a local authority, looking after and supposedly acting in the best interests of your community, at times I can’t help but feel that it leaves sometimes a little too much margin for error. I have lived in two boroughs since I’ve been in London, and the difference between the two is vast, especially when it comes to the vital environmental component of recycling.

As you walk through the streets of London, you can generally tell when you’ve crossed over into a different borough, simply by the public rubbish and recycling facilities that are available. The two boroughs I have the most experience with are Wandsworth and Hackney. But I’ve spent a lot of time in Westminster, Islington and Lambeth too, and there is discrepancy in recycling facilities across the board.

As an example, Wandsworth (who flout their claim of having the lowest Council Tax in the country) have minimal recycling bins on their streets. They offer a basic home collection service, but if you have anything recyclable in your hands while you’re out and about, you either chuck it in the landfill, or take it home to recycle later. (And would someone mind explaining the logic to me of using disposable plastic bags for recycling collections? There seems to be something fundamentally erroneous with this concept.)

“The council has both national and local targets to meet for things like recycling, street cleanliness and the cost of collecting rubbish from each household.

To meet our recycling target of 26 percent for 2010/11 we can:
- Recycle more types of items
- Provide more recycling banks at blocks of flats to make sure that you can recycle easily at home
- Make recycling easier at privately managed blocks of flats by providing reusable recycling bags.
- Reduce the amount of rubbish thrown away - for example, by composting at home.”
- http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk (July 2011)

When I compare my 18 months of experience in Wandsworth with what I have now up here in Hackney, the situation is very different. Hackney offers a comprehensive house-hold collection of both recycling and compostable waste (along with that destined for the landfill). Because I live above a shop, I have to take my recycling down to one of the big cow-patterned bins, but that’s ok, because they are everywhere! In London Fields alone, there are at least 8.

If I’m walking down the street in Hackney, I’m greeted with our new rubbish/recycling duo bins (they have started popping up in the last couple of months), a la Angel Islington or Old St. Although it’s taken Hackney a little while, these bins are another great improvement, and instant gratification for any conscientious Londoner walking down Mare St with an old newspaper or empty juice bottle.

In contrast to Wandsworth, Hackney’s recycling blurb begins:
“Recycling is quick and easy, and it's great for the environment and your community! ...

An important way you can help protect the environment is by reducing your waste in the first place! You'll find lots of handy tips about waste prevention in our reduce your waste pages, where you can read about making the most of food, using real nappies, composting, avoiding junk mail, sustainable shopping, our 'give or take' project and furniture re-use.”
- www.hackney.gov.uk (July 2011)

Refreshing, huh? Hackney even have active community groups like ‘Greener Hackney’ who are out there (and online) recruiting and promoting environmental sustainability within the borough.

So, if one borough can do it, then there really is no reason why the whole of London can’t be held more accountable for their Green habits, or lack their of. The mayoral team need to keep stepping up their game across London, and make an undertaking to clean up this dirty-ass city. Give Londoners the opportunity to look after their city, and if they’re not going to use that opportunity, then take a firmer line of punishment to enforce better habits.

But while we wait for that to happen (along with world peace and sustainable use of the world’s resources), be sure to take the steps you can as an individual to ensure the recycling in your home and community is being maximised. If the local authority isn’t doing a good enough job - TELL THEM. Encourage non-violence to the environment, truthfulness and accountability by individuals and cleanliness of your Greater London community.