Have you ever wondered what happens to your waste after we’ve collected it?
As you know, it’s our job to process the waste generated by the people and businesses of north London daily. We screen and sort it according to its recyclability to minimise what goes to landfill.
We follow a process that’s referred to as the waste hierarchy. What this does is prioritise waste management options. The most preferred choice is to prevent waste generation, and the least preferred is disposal to landfill.
We aim to stop as much as possible from reaching the disposal stage. That’s why we focus on reusing, recycling and recovering energy from waste wherever possible.
General Waste
The waste we process comes from the homes and businesses of north London and is either collected by us or received through one of our six Reuse and Recycling Centres.
After collecting your waste, it is taken to one of our Waste Transfer Stations, where it is weighed, screened and sorted according to what it is, its recyclability, size and level of hazard it presents. This process maximises how much waste is recycled.
Anything that can’t be recycled is sent to our EcoPark site, where it is incinerated to produce electricity.
In 2018, UK households produced 26.4 million tonnes of waste, of which 11.9 million tonnes was recycled (45%).
Bulk Waste
Larger items, such as furniture, mattresses and fridges, go to our Bulk Recycling Centre for sorting and processing.
Many of the materials used in these items can be reused or recycled. Our team of specialist operatives extract the recyclables providing a sustainable solution for the disposal of these larger items.
Any items we can’t recycle are sent to third parties with the specialist facilities needed to process the waste.
Of course, any items received that are in good condition are quality-checked and sent to our Second Time Around Shop.
