The service information presented for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets was last updated in September 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.

Dry Recycling

Tower Hamlets provides a doorstep collection of dry recyclables to 20,000 households with a street-level doorstep. Residents can put out material for collection in pink disposable sacks, a pink reusable bag, a purple wheelie bin or any other clearly marked container. The following materials are collected co-mingled (mixed together) by a Refuse Collection Vehicle (RCV) and taken to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting: 

• aerosols
• cardboard
• drinks cartons
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper
• plastic bottles
• yellow pages

Organics

A fortnightly collection of green garden waste is presently available to 10,000 households. Residents are provided with reusable sacks in which they can place hedge cuttings, small branches, dead flowers, leaves and other garden waste.

Food waste, including meat, is also collected on a weekly basis from 20,000 properties. Residents have been provided with a 5 litre kitchen caddy and 23 litre collection caddy.

Tower Hamlets council provides bring bank recycling to 19,000 households on estates.  Materials are collected co-mingled in communal purple bins.  The recyclables are collected by a RCV.  The following materials can be recycled:

• aerosols
• cardboard
• drinks cartons
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper
• plastic bottles
• yellow pages

Doorstep collection

50,000 households are served with a weekly doorstop collection. Residents can put recycling out for collection in pink disposable sacks, pink re-usable sacks a green box or any other clearly marked container. The following materials are collected co-mingled (mixed together) and taken to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting: 

• aerosols
• cardboard
• drinks cartons
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper
• plastic bottles
• yellow pages and phone directories

Organics

Food waste collections from blocks of flats are currently being trialled. A weekly doorstep collection of food waste, including meat, is available to 2,000 households. Residents are provided with a 5 litre kitchen caddy and 23 litre collection caddy. In addition, 5,000 households are being serviced by a communal collection system, whereby residents use their 5 litre kitchen caddy to transport waste to nearby 240 litre composter bins.

Household Reuse and Recycling Centre

There is one Reuse and Recycling Centre (RRC) in Tower Hamlets:

Northumberland Wharf
Yabsley Street
Isle of Dogs
E14 9RG

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

Bring Banks

There are over 50 public bring sites in Tower Hamlets collecting the following materials in co-mingled (mixed together) bins:

• aerosols
• cardboard
• drinks cartons
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper
• plastic bottles
• yellow pages

Some sites have charity bins for textiles, shoes and books.

For information on how to participate, click here!

Home Composting

Tower Hamlets has run various home compost bin promotions since 2000/01, distributing over 2,000 to date.  Subsidised compost bins and wormeries are available for £5. Bins can be bought from City Farms and the Reuse and Recycling Centre or ordered by calling 020 7093 6026.

The Council also helps sets up community composting projects at blocks of flats for residents to compost their food waste. The Council provides a range of compost bins which are supplied free of charge, including a sealed metal unit for all cooked and uncooked food. They also supply kitchen caddies. There needs to be five residents willing to take part and someone willing to co-ordinate the scheme and look after the bins.

Nappies

Real Nappies for London is a new London-wide scheme to provide parents with an opportunity to try real nappies.  Tower Hamlets council has joined Real Nappies for London and if you have a child under the age of 18 months, you could be entitled to claim an information pack and voucher.  For more information please visit: http://www.realnappiesforlondon.org.uk/index.php

Tower Hamlets offer an incentive scheme to encourage parents to use real nappies. Parents can receive a £50 voucher to use toward the purchase of real nappies or a subscription to a laundry service.

Waste Exchange

Residents can offer unwanted household items on freecycle. For the Tower Hamlets network visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/towerhamletsfreecycle

Junk Mail

Tower Hamlets encourages residents to sign up to the Mail Preference Service (MPS) and the Royal Mail Door-to-Door service to reduce the amount of junk mail they receive.

Visit: www.mpsonline.org.uk
Email: optout@royalmail.com

For information on how to participate, click here!

Bulky Waste Collection

Tower Hamlets provides a bulky waste collection to all residents.  The service is free of charge for up to three items.  Residents can use this service twice a year.  Alternatively furniture and white goods can be taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Schools Recycling

Nearly all schools have signed up to the co-mingled recycling scheme and some will be given green boxes and pink sacks.

Residual Waste

Residual waste is collected from households at least once a week.  Containment can vary from refuse sacks, wheeled bins or communal bulk bins.

Commercial Waste Collection

Tower Hamlets provides a commercial waste collection service and commercial waste is also accepted at the reuse and recycling centre at a charge.  Commercial waste recycling collections are also available.  Containment and frequency of collections vary depending on the needs of each business.  The following materials are collected co-mingled by a RCV:

• aerosols
• cardboard
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper
• plastic bottles
• yellow pages

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

Contact Tower Hamlets Address: London Borough of Tower Hamlets Town Hall Mulberry Place 5 Clove Crescent London E14 2BG  Tel: 02073 645 004   Email: generalenquiries@towerhamlets.gov.uk