Leave Your Tops On
Residents recycling plastic bottles must squash the bottle before putting it in the recycling bag or bank
Previously the Smugglers Way recycling plant struggled to recycle lids left on bottles and asked residents to remove them, but Wandsworth residents were often left confused when general UK-wide recycling publicity usually showed the lids left on.
Now the plant has confirmed it can recycle the tops as well, as long as the bottle is squashed – this prevents the tops firing off when they are compacted in the recycling lorry or baled at the plant. It also help you get more in your recycling sack or bank.
You can now also place metal lids – such as jam jar lids in with your recycling but please put them in separately to the glass bottle or jar. These will be sorted mechanically and recycled.
Plastic items accepted by Western Riverside Waste Authority’s recycling plant at Smugglers Way include
plastic bottles (including detergent and shampoo bottles)
plastic trays (e.g. microwave meal trays)
plastic tubs (e.g. ice cream and margarine tubs)
plastic pots (e.g. yoghurt and cream pots)
Please ensure that any plastic film is removed and the worst of the food residue rinsed off.
Other plastics, such as cling film, plastic coffee cups, bread bags, cereal liners and carrier bags cannot be recycled in Wandsworth’s clear recycling sacks or orange-lidded banks. However, plastic carrier bags and packaging films bearing the appropriate logo can be recycled at larger supermarkets.
Cabinet member for the environment Cllr Steffi Sutters said: “We are delighted to make it easier for our residents to recycle. We know it can be confusing when different recycling plants recycle different things, so I’m pleased we are now in line with many other areas.
“We are also working with the Western Riverside Waste Authority to give local people the information they need to reduce the amount of waste they produce. We are supporting the End of the Line for Waste campaign, with two engagement events at the end of last year in Clapham Junction and Putney reaching more than 400 people about waste reduction. We will be announcing another event soon.”
Find out more at the Western Riverside’s new, easy to navigate website at wrwa.gov.uk
February 5, 2019