Recycling - information and advice

Recycling and Waste Minimisation

Havering is now recycling over a third of its waste which represents a significant improvement! However, there are even greener ways of dealing with our waste so we should give priority to 'reduction' and 'reuse'.

Why is waste reduction so important?

Waste is both very costly to deal with and harmful to the environment. Havering Council currently pays over £10 million pounds a year to dispose of its waste and it costs £108 for every tonne we send to landfill which will increase every year until 2014. Landfilling our waste is also very harmful to the environment. When organic waste such as food, paper or even clothes break down in a landfill site, they emit methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas which is 20 times more polluting than carbon dioxide.

Free Cookery Workshops!

Thank you to all the residents that have attended a cookery workshop. The response has been fantastic with over 1,000 residents now having attended over 80 workshops to date. We hope the workshops will act as a springboard for everyone who attended to help them reduce food waste and save money. We are delighted to be offering a further series of FREE cookery workshops between June and November 2012 which will include an ice cream making demonstration. The workshops provide an excellent opportunity to learn how to save money and reduce the amount of food you throw away with professional chefs! To book onto a FREE cookery workshop please call: 01708 432 563 or email: waste-team@havering.gov.uk

Check Your Waste Collection Day

You can now check your refuse and recycling collection day by using the postcode lookup. 

Summer Refuse & Recycling Collection Dates 2012

                 Normal Collection Date        Revised Collection Date

May        Monday 7th May                         Tuesday 8th May

                 Tuesday 8th May                         Wednesday 9th May

                 Wednesday 9th May                     Thursday 10th May

                 Thursday 10th May                        Friday 11th May

                 Friday 11th May                            Saturday 12th May   

June       Monday 4th June                           Tuesday 5th June

                 Tuesday 5th June                          Wednesday 6th June

                 Wednesday 6th June                     Thursday 7th June

                 Thursday 7th June                         Friday 8th June

                 Friday 8th June                             Saturday 9th June

August    Monday 27th August                      Tuesday 28th August

                Tuesday 28th August                     Wednesday 29th August 

                Wednesday 29th August                Thursday 30th August

                Thursday 30th August                    Friday 31st August

                Friday 31st August                         Saturday 1st September

Please note that all revised collection arrangements also apply to the green bin, clinical, cardboard and trade waste services. 

Home Composting - Purchase a Bin for as Little as £16

Havering has signed up to a scheme that offers reduced price home compost bins to residents. In addition to home compost bins, residents can also purchase composting accessories and water butts through the scheme. Log onto www.getcomposting.com or call 0844 571 4444 to buy a bin and find out how to get started.

Compost Awareness Week 2012

Reuse

Charity Shops

It's very satisfying to give unwanted goods to charity shops because not only are you dealing with your waste responsibly; you can help contribute to a good cause as well. Charity shops are very keen to take a variety of second hand goods from you for resale such as books, clothes, toys and DVDs. There are many charity shops in Havering that would highly appreciate your donations: 

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Reuse Organisations  

There are many web-based, non-profit making organisations that match people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them.

Havering Freegle (Formerly Havering Freecycle):

Havering Freegle is a web-based, non-profit making organisation, that matches people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them. The goal is to minimise waste by promoting reuse.

Items are not actually swapped, instead, homes are found for the unwanted items that would otherwise be thrown away. Around 200 messages each week are posted offering free unwanted items - from furniture to computers, televisions or clothes and even a car! For further information or to become a member of the Havering Freegle group, please visit: www.haveringfreegle.co.uk

Other Reuse Organisations:

Other reuse organisations exist, which have the same goals as Freegle. Maybe these sites will offer you a way of getting rid of your unwanted items to a good home? They may even have something you want!

www.vskips.co.uk

www.snaffleup.co.uk

www.ecobees.com

Packaging

Remember, if you think a product is over-packaged, you don't have to buy it!

 

 

 

Our shopping habits have changed and most of us no longer shop everyday in small local shops. The majority of us now shop in supermarkets for convenience. A significant proportion of supermarket products are now imported from all over the World. The consequence of this is that food needs to have a longer shelf-life. Therefore, much of our food we buy is wrapped in plastic because it is lightweight, cheap and possesses the perfect properties to keep food fresh for longer. Some of us also buy convenience meals, where packaging needs to be microwaveable.

 

All of these factors mean that packaging producers have created a range of plastic packaging to fit each requirement. Packaging manufacturers and supermarkets have dedicated teams who work at reducing packaging on products and making them easier to recycle. These changes mean that less raw materials are often needed to create the packaging, which has the added benefit of reducing the amount of waste we throw away. In turn, the products can often be cheaper to produce and transport, so manufacturers and supermarkets benefit too. For more information and examples of the work that has already been done, log onto www.wrap.org.uk/retail 

 

If you think a product is over-packaged, you don't have to buy it! Supermarkets react to consumer spending habits, so if enough people stopped buying over-packaged items, the producers would be forced to reduce their packaging.

 

Why not make a complaint directly to the Store Manager? If the amount of complaints is high enough, it will put pressure on supermarkets to reduce their packaging. Customer satisfaction is critically important to supermarkets and if they feel you may shop elsewhere due to the prevalence of over packaged items, they are much more likely to act. 

 

Remember you have the right to report examples of excessive and misleading packaging to Consumer Direct. If they feel you have a valid case, they can refer the details to Trading Standards to investigate.

 

Smart Shopping

If everyone made a conscious effort to buy products with less packaging, there would be a lot less waste going to landfill.

Less Is More

Products that are either unpackaged, contain the minimum amount of packaging or contain packaging that can be reused are often money-saving in the long-term. Can you do any or all of the following things to help you cut back on the waste you create?

•  Reuse your carrier bags, or better still, use cotton or alternative hard-wearing bags for your shopping. On average, each household in the UK gets through around 400 plastic carrier bags each year. Most of them go to landfill, but many others end up waving to us from the branches of trees or slowly drowning in ponds¹.
• Fruit and vegetables in particular, are often unnecessarily packaged. Try and buy fruit and vegetables loose. Locally produced fruit and vegetables often have less packaging and are much kinder to the environment in terms of reducing food miles. Food transport is responsible for the UK adding nearly 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year²
   
• Avoid single-use juice cartons, bottled water, cans and pouches (buy their larger equivalents). If your making a packed lunch, you can transfer the contents into reusable Tupperware containers and bottles.
• Buy energy saving light bulbs. One energy saving bulb can out live 15 standard light bulbs.
• Buy rechargeable batteries.
• Buy detergents in refillable containers such as Ecover.
• Read newspapers online or in a library.

^{Information sources: 1 www.actonco2.direct.gov.uk 2 www.climatechoices.org.uk} 

Reduce Junk Mail

You don't have to live with junk mail! Here's a brief guide on how to stop it coming through your letter box if you no longer wish to receive it. A few facts first ..........

• 17.5 billion pieces of junk mail are produced every year in the UK.
• To produce all this junk mail, 550,000 tonnes of paper and 16.5 billion litres of water are used.
• 650 pieces of junk mail are posted through the average British letterbox every year.

If you receive unwanted free newspapers and junk mail directly through your door, why not stick a note to your letterbox stating you don't want them? We have some stickers available on request. Please email us at: waste-team@havering.gov.uk or contact StreetCare on 01708 432563.

The Mail Preference Service (MPS) is a FREE service enabling consumers to have their names and addresses in the UK removed from lists used by the industry. The MPS can remove your name from up to 95% of Direct Mail lists. It will not stop mail that has been sent from overseas, un-addressed material or mail addressed to The Occupier. You can expect to continue to receive mailings from companies with whom you have done business in the past. You may also receive mailings from small, local companies. If you wish these mailings to be stopped, you must notify these companies directly. It will take up to 4 months to have full effect although you should notice a reduction of the mail during this period.

To register with the service please call: 0845 703 4699

or email: mps@dma.org.uk

www.mpsonline.org.uk

• Yellow Pages
• Thomson Local
• BT Telephone Local

The service is completely FREE and in less than minute's time you can save up to 250 pieces / 11 kilos of junk mail in a year!

Real Nappies

¹

• By using reusable nappies you could save over £500 - even more if you use them on your second and third baby! (This saving will vary depending on the type of disposable and cloth nappy products being compared). ²
• All nappies have some environmental impact. However by using reusable nappies no waste will go to landfill. By not using a tumble drier, for example, you will also be helping to minimise further the impact on the environment. ²
• Cloth nappies are more natural against the skin. Modern disposable nappies contain super absorbent granules that turn into gel when they come into contact with urine. ²
• Cloth nappies also provide good padding for the base of the spine - particularly beneficial when your child is learning to walk.²

For more information on real nappies log onto www.fill-your-pants.com For free, impartial and personalised advice from an Advisor please contact your local 'Nappy Guru', Victoria Torrance on 07930 842306 or email gentletots@gmail.com

^{Photo: 1 Clare Bloomfield / www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=862}

^{Information source: 2 www.changeworks.org.uk}

Grow Your Own

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The amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be nearly 3 million tonnes. An estimated 56% of all plastics waste is used in packaging, 3/4 of which is from households². We often find that the fruit and vegetables come with their own natural packaging (their skins and shells!). Bananas, avocados, onions and carrots to name but a few, don't need any additional packaging.

Even with the best of intentions, it can be difficult to always find fruit and vegetables which aren't wrapped in plastic. The best way to ensure your fruit and vegetables are completely package free is to grow your own!

³

Once you learn the basics, growing your own is a lot easier and more convenient than you may think. We all joke about the British weather, but it's actually the perfect climate for growing an array of different fruit and vegetables. Growing your own is rewarding, great for kids and an excellent way of exercising. You can put as little or as much time into it as you can spare. Anyone can grow herbs or salad leaves for example, even if you live in a high rise flat. Growing your own can help you to supplement the food you buy and help you to save money. Organic fruit and vegetables can be expensive from the supermarket. If you don't have the space to grow as much as you want to, have you ever considered an allotment. Log onto www.havering.gov.uk/Pages/Allotments.aspx to see if there are any available plots near you.

If you've not been able to get hold of an allotment space and don't wish to be put on a waiting list, why not log onto www.landshare.net to see if any landowners near you are offering their land for growing. There are currently 9 landowners in Havering registered with landshare.

^{Picture sources: 1 Simon Howden www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=404
3 Clare Bloomfield www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=862
Information source: 2 www.wasteonline.org.uk}

Love Food Hate Waste

Wasting food costs the average household £480 per year, rising to £680 for a family with children, the equivalent of around £50 a month. That's a lot of food and a lot of money! Studies have shown that on average we throw away more than 20,000 tonnes of food each year in Havering. A fifth of Havering's black sacks is made up of food!

It's Easy to Learn How to Reduce Food Waste and Save Money!

Havering's Waste and Recycling Team has spoken to over 12,000 Havering residents about how to reduce food waste at numerous roadshows, talks and cookery workshops since April 2009.

Log onto www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for great tips, recipes and advice on how to throw less food away!

The Love Food Hate Waste Guide to Saving Money Around the Kitchen:

• Know Your Dates - Checking dates saves money. Food can be eaten right up to a 'use-by' date or frozen. 'Best before' dates are for quality so there is no need to throw out food on the stated date - eggs being the exception.
• Lovely Leftovers - Being creative with leftovers is a clever way to save money and make what's in the fridge go further. Sunday's roast leftovers can be used in many dishes from cheeky curries to cracking risottos.
• It pays to plan - A great way of saving time and money is to check what's in the cupboard, fridge and freezer and make a list before going shopping. Planning like this removes the hassle of thinking about what to eat everyday and lets us enjoy food at its freshest.
• Cook from the cupboard - With canned and dried foods in the cupboard and some fridge and freezer basics, you can pull together a quick meal to make the most of any leftovers.
• Perfect Portions - It's very likely we've all got the perfect thing for measuring a portion of rice, pasta, or potato in our kitchen. A regular mug works for rice. A mug of uncooked rice is the right amount to feed four adults. Try the Portion Calculator at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

Garden Waste Service - New Customers

Have you considered signing up to the wheeled bin garden waste collection service? It will enable you to dispose of all your garden waste in a cost effective and convenient way.

The service can save the need for regular trips to the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Gerpins Lane. For a small annual fee, you will be loaned a wheeled bin which will be emptied fortnightly throughout the year (excluding two weeks over the Christmas period).

The green garden waste is transported to a composting facility where it is turned into a soil improver.

Changes to Rubbish and Recycling Collection Days

From Monday 4 October 2010, collection days changed for the majority of residents. Collections remain weekly.

Separate Recycling Collections - Now Borough-wide for Houses and Flats!

Separate collections of orange sacks from the rubbish is now borough-wide for all houses and flats in the borough. 

The change in service means that orange recycling sacks are collected separately, along with corrugated cardboard, from the rest of the rubbish.

Recycle for Havering Roadshows

Recycle for Havering Roadshows are an opportunity to find out more about recycling and waste prevention from our Recycling Advisors.

The next Roadshows:

Recycling Roadshows at The Mall in Romford will take place on the first Thursday of every month, 10:00 - 15:00.

Recycling Roadshows, Activities and Talks will be taking place at the following locations:

Please watch this space for future Recycling Roadshow dates. For a more detailed description of the events above visit the Recycle For Your Community website.

If your group or community organisation is interested in receiving a presentation about recycling and what you can do to be greener in the home please contact StreetCare.

Trade, business and commercial waste and recycling

The Cost of Waste

Become a Community Recycling Champion!

 

Recycle for your Community (RFYC) is a project aiming to increase recycling participation and minimise household waste in the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham and Redbridge.

The RFYC team is looking for volunteers to help run recycling information roadshows and events in your local area, letting residents know how to recycle more and waste less.

Are you talkative and enthusiastic about green issues? Could you spare a few hours a month to help out?

Join a group of like-minded fellow residents championing recycling and waste reduction in your area - attend community events with the team, take part in providing valuable information for the public and make a real difference!

No previous experience necessary; full training is provided. Lunch and travel expenses are reimbursed, and other benefits include regular socials and ongoing skills training opportunities.

For further details on the role and the recruitment process please call or email Sarah Mills on 07736 783975 or sarah.mills@wastewatch.org.uk, or visit www.recycleforyourcommunity.com  

Sport Into Schools

Competitions

 

2011 

Schools Recycling Championship

The race was on again last Summer to find out which school is the borough's best recycler. We are delighted to announce that Elm Park Primary School have been crowned the Schools Recycling Champions 2010! Pupils at the school managed to collect an impressive 4.68kg of recycling per pupil giving a total of 1 ton over the months of June and July. They will keep the Recycling Championship Cup in their trophy cabinet until next year. The school was awarded £100 worth of Natural Collection eco-shopping vouchers for their efforts. Havering Council Would also like to say well done to Squirrels Heath Infants School and Ravensbourne Special school who finished second and third respectively. Squirrels Heath Infants School was only narrowly pipped to the post by this years Champions collecting only 0.19kg per pupil less. Ravensbourne Special School managed to collect 3.69kg per pupil amounting to 0.3 tonnes overall.

Cllr Barry Tebbutt, Cabinet Member for the Environment was present to congratulate the finalists and hand out the prizes.

The Recycling Championship has been devised in order to reward schools that go the extra mile in terms of recycling as much as they can. It is also hoped it will help to raise awareness of recycling and encourage pupils to recycle at school as well as at home. 

Will your school be up for the challenge next year?

Big Beast Recycling Art Competition

A BIG well done to Crownfield Infants School who have won the Big Beast Recycling Art Competition. Emily Swinge, Mia Dimond-Pritchett, Colby Martin and Blessed Ayankogbe created this stunning Tiger and have all received Tiger adoption packs to reward them for their efforts.

Havering Council would like to say thank you to all the shoppers who cast their votes which helped decide the eventual winner. 96 votes were cast in total (47 for the winner!).

Green Bin Prize Draw Winner

Mr Dennis Mills who lives on Benets Road in Hornchurch was the lucky winner of this year's green bin prize draw. The prize draw was open to all residents (new to the service) who enrolled before October. Dennis will receive a free service up until March 2011. Dennis said "I am very pleased to have received my new bin. Due to my large garden, I used to need to go to Gerpins Lane quite regularly with my garden waste. I now don't need to do this which will save me a lot of time and effort". Dennis is now able to enjoy the benefits of the wheeled bin garden waste collection service along with almost 20,000 other Havering residents.

Recycle Week Prize Draw Winner

A big congratulations to two Romford residents, Mr Len Beckwith and Varsha Mistry-Hand, who were both first out of the hat to win the Recycle Week Waste Electricals Prize Draw. Len opted for a clock radio and Varsha won an eco-kettle to help her save water and energy every time she makes a cuppa at home.

Both Len and Varsha made a pledge to recycle their waste electricals whilst attending roadshows in Havering during Recycle Week 2010 which ran between 21-27 June. Varsha said "I was really happy to make the pledge. I didn't know you could recycle electrical waste such as TVs and old toasters at Gerpins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre". For further details on recycling your waste electricals please visit Waste Electricals

Compost Bin Winner

During Compost Awareness Week in May, over 50 Havering residents took part in a compost bin prize draw. Three lucky winners (Mrs. Kay Alexander who is pictured, Mrs Alice Ready and Mrs Burton) were the first names out of the hat. Like many Havering residents who own compost bins, they are now able to compost their garden and kitchen waste. To take advantage of a compost bin special offer please visit getcomposting.com

Spotted

The Council was delighted to launch it's spotted competition during Recycle Week in June when 500 reusable bags were given out to Havering shoppers. The competition was devised in order to reward residents that use a reusable shopping bag. Four lucky Havering residents were spotted out and about in Havering using their 'Lets Waste Less' reusable bag and have received their £50 shopping vouchers.