Waste - more information and links

A short video about what happens to waste collected for recycling

Waste and Resources

06/01/2019 Recent article about Plastic Free Hackney and others in The Observer

19/05/2015 The North London Waste Authority moves to the next stage of consultation on plans for a new £500million energy-from-waste facility at its Edmonton site

25/02/2015 The London Assembly Environment Committee has published a report, Bag it or bin it?, on managing London’s domestic food waste

24/02/15 WRAP has published a series of ‘how to’ guides and examples of how councils, waste management businesses and third sector organisations can set up successful reuse initiatives.

20/01/15 Local organisations invited to register for free, reusable items available from the Olympic Park: http://www.freeusable.co.uk/

15/12/14 Triple Win: The Economic, Social and Environmental Case for Remanufacturing

02/12/14 Food Waste House of Commons Library publication looks at food waste and initiatives to tackle food waste in the UK

28/11/2014 UK food waste – Historical changes and how amounts might be influenced in the future

20/11/14 The Co-op are continuing their Working on Waste Campaign

30/07/14 The Centre for Sustainable Design has published A Global Survey of Repair Cafés and Hackerspaces

11/06/14 The Guardian's Upcycling competition winners announced

23/05/14 Guidance launched to show how local authorities and businesses can reduce food and drink waste and save natural resources.

27/05/14 Guardian article 'Reuse recognised: how an old ideal is finally making it to the big time'

07/03/14 Free 10,000 litres of reclaimed paint to community groups in Hackney. If you are interested download an application from the FRP (Walthamstow) website or email

22/12/13 bio-bean of Camberwell Grove, London SE5, collect waste coffee grounds and and have developed a process to turn them into biomass pellets and biodiesel, for heating and transport.

11/12/13 Defra published Prevention is better than cure, setting out the government's new Waste Prevention Programme and what they think will move us towards reducing waste.

11/12/13 Waste management in London: key challenges - This London Councils report provides an overview of waste management arrangements in London and identifies seven challenges that face London's waste management sector:

rising costs as a result of population growth;
London's lower recycling rates and landfill diversion;
varying waste collection systems across London;
the opportunity for income generation from trade waste;
rising costs of waste treatment and disposal;
the prevention of food waste; and
>supporting reuse initiatives.

The report states that reducing or preventing the amount of waste produced is the most cost-effective and environmentally beneficial measure but only 0.2% (£1m) of London’s £490m spent on municipal waste management was allocated to waste prevention in 2011/12. It also points out that re-use initiatives are often the forgotten level in the waste hierarchy.