The service information presented for the London Borough of Bexley was last updated in October 2008. Information was verified by borough contacts. The authors of this website are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Data relating to targets and performance is taken from Defra's Environment statistics.

Bexley’s kerbside collection scheme serves 80,000 households on a weekly basis. Residents have been issued with three boxes for the collection of different materials: a green box for books, cardboard, paper and yellow pages, a maroon box for aerosols, aluminium foil, mixed cans and plastic bottles and a black box for glass bottles and jars.

The three boxes stack one on top of the other to make the best use of space in resident’s properties. Paper and cardboard are collected using a Faun Rotopress vehicle, the other material is collected using a Twin Compartment vehicle.

Although it is not a council run scheme, the Salvation Army also collection for textiles and shoes from households in Bexley.

Organics

The brown bin scheme now covers 80,000 households. It collects mixed garden and kitchen waste (including meat and fish) for composting on a weekly basis in a 140 or 240 litre wheeled bin and a 7 litre kitchen caddy. Paper liners are also available at 5p each, for lining caddies or storing extra materials. Contaminated cardboard, like pizza boxes, is also accepted; as well as newspaper used to wrap food. Collections are carried out by the Council's in-house collection service, using a Faun Rotopress vehicle.

Residents who home compost are encouraged to continue doing so as this is the best way to deal with kitchen and garden waste. Please see the Waste Minimisation section below for more details.

Dry Recycling

9,784 flats receive an estate recycling service.  Residents use ‘box-bags’ to carry recyclables to either 240 litre wheelie bins or 1100 / 1280 litre Eurobins located near the flat entrances. The bins are colour coded: aerosols, aluminium foil, mixed cans and plastic bottles are collected in a white-topped or grey/silver bin.  Cardboard, paper and yellow pages are collected in a blue bin and glass bottles and jars are collected in a green bin. Not all materials are accepted at all sites, this depends on how much space is available. This scheme was trialled on a small scale basis from 2001-2004. From 2004 onwards all flats in the Borough have been offered recycling services.

Flats Above Shops

Bexley has approximately 1,500 flats above shops. They are offered both recycling and waste kerbside collection services.  Recycling and waste should be put out by 6:45am on the collection day. Depending on the location waste may be put out in black sacks or green wheeled bins. Recycling may be put out in three kerbside collection boxes or in three wheeled bins, again depending on the location. Some locations are not suitable for kerbside collection and are therefore required to use local bring banks or specially installed litter bins for recycling. The following materials are included in the collections:

• Paper and cardboard
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic bottles, tins and cans

Household Reuse and Recycling Centre

There are two Reuse and Recycling Centres (RRC) in Bexley:

Foots Cray Reuse and Recycling Centre
Maidstone Road
Sidcup
Kent
DA14 5HS

Thames Road Reuse and Recycling Centre
Thames Road
Crayford
Dartford
Kent
DA1 4QX

Click here for a list of materials accepted at the RRCs.

Bring Banks

There has been a network of bring sites in the borough since 1989; this now consists of 61 public sites. The banks are located so that on average, 1,500 households are served per site. The materials collected are aerosols, aluminium foil, books, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, mixed cans, media, paper, plastic bottles, shoes, small electrical items and textiles (not all materials are accepted at all sites).

Home Composting

The borough has supplied compost bins to households on request since 1994, with the last phase starting in January 2006 in partnership with WRAP’s Home Composting Scheme.  Composters cost £17 (220L compost converter), £20 (330 litre compost converter), £40 (KOMP 250L) and £4 (kitchen caddy).  To date a total of 18,000 bins have been distributed. Bins can be ordered online at http://recyclenow.com/home_composting.

 Nappy Schemes

Monthly ‘Nappachino’s’ mornings have been held since November 2004. These are attended by a member of the recycling team and the local lollipop nappy advisor, who provide support and advice about the use of real nappies.

Working with Real Nappies for London, Bexley Council provide £40 vouchers or trial packs of Real nappies to interested parents/carers.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Goodwin (Recycling Officer): 0208 303 7777 x6890
Bumbletots Nappy Laundering Service: 0208 249 1941 or www.bumbletots.co.uk
Johanna Morrish, Lollipop Nappy Advisor: 07773 896 853 or jo.lollipop@virgin.net

Junk Mail Reduction

Residents and businesses can sign upto the Mailing Preference Service to reduce their junk mail. For more information please visit: www.mpsonline.org.uk.

Waste Exchange

The borough organises annual ‘Give or Take’ days, where residents can bring along unwanted items to swap with other residents.

Scrap Store

Bexley is planning to introduce a scrap store where schools and communities will be able to source materials for various projects.

Waste Aware Shopping

Cloth shopping bags are distributed and green shopping is promoted.

Bulky Waste

The Council will collect white goods and furniture for a minimum charge of £25 for up to two items, the charge increases with the number of items collected and the time taken to remove the items.

Alternatively, if the item is reusable residents can arrange a free collection through Respond, a not-for-profit social enterprise project that refurbishes electrical goods and furniture and trades them at affordable prices to local authorities, refugee support groups, housing associations and individuals on low income in the East London Area. To arrange a collection call: 0208 316 1099.  Alternatively the British Heart Foundation, Furniture and Electrical Store in Sidcup may be able to take items for reuse. To arrange a collection call: 0208 3025 768.

Litter

Street cleansing operatives are being encouraged to separate recyclable materials. This includes cardboard, cans and fly tipped electrical goods.

At present the Council is trialling a number of different styles of recycling bins in its town centres. In addition commuter recycling bins funded through London Remade have been installed for the collection of commuter waste at the Borough’s railway stations.

Green waste from the Council’s parks and open spaces is collected and composted through the reuse and recycling centre scheme. The Council sells the compost back to residents at the reuse and recycling centres.

Schools Recycling

Bexley Council’s waste education project, Schools Waste Action Club (SWAC) has been running in the borough since 2000 and is free to all schools. SWAC aims to support primary, secondary and special needs schools to help them introduce and develop sustainable waste management practices. Bexley SWAC is operated by Bexley’s two education officers, their key activities are:

• A waste audit and analysis which forms the basis of a school Action Plan;
• Educational activities integrated into the National Curriculum using waste as a theme, including fun activities such as the Giant Rubbish Challenge and visits from Cycler, the rapping robot;
• Visits to waste management facilities;
• Teacher training in the use of the resources.

For food waste, free home compost bins are provided in partnership with the Bexley Healthy Schools Programme. Schools requiring more composting capacity are added to the brown bin collection scheme, which collects food waste from the canteens and excess garden waste.

To obtain free teaching resources and advice or recycling bins for use in school, please contact the Education Officers at:
Schools Waste Action Club, Bexley Council, Highways and Amenities, Civic Offices, Bexleyheath Kent DA6 7LB
Call: 020 8294 2080/ 020 8294 2090
Register on line at www.bexley.gov.uk

Residual Waste

Residual household waste is collected fortnightly from the kerbside using either black refuse sacks or wheeled bins.

Commercial Recycling and Waste

Approximately 300 businesses are served by a fortnightly collection of dry recyclables. Aerosols, aluminium foil, books, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, mixed cans, paper, plastic bottles and yellow pages are collected separately. Materials are collected in 240 litre wheeled bins or 1100 litre Eurobins. Bulk containers (skips) can also be arranged for paper. Paper and cardboard are collected using a Faun Rotapress vehicle; other materials are collected using a Twin Compartment vehicle with side loader.

75 businesses are served by a weekly collection of food waste. Material is collected using 140 or 240 litre wheelie bins and a 50 litre kitchen caddy. Paper or corn starch bags are also available for lining the caddies. The material is collected using a Faun Rotapress vehicle.

Businesses can also take commercial waste to the Thames Road Transfer Station. Charges are at a nominal rate dependant on weight and volume of materials.  Paper and card can be taken to the site free of charge (by prior arrangement). Cheaper rates are also available for green waste only loads.

Find out more about recycling in your area Visit Recycle for London
Compare Bexley's recycling services with the rest of London	View the London Matrix
Find out more about the London Borough of Bexley

Contact Bexley Address: Waste and Recycling Team Highways and Amenities Civic Office Broadway Bexleyheath Kent DA6 7LB   Tel: 020 8303 7777 Option 1   Email: wasteteam@bexley.gov.uk Recycling Team: Stephen Didsbury (Head of Waste and Street Services) June Unwin (Waste and Recycling Manager) Mark Jam (Waste and Recycling Projects Officer)