The service information presented for the London Borough of Hackney was last updated in October 2007. 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

This is a weekly service available to 51,000 street level properties in Hackney. Residents separate the recyclables from general household rubbish into the 55 litre green box (made from 100% recycled material), which is collected and sorted at the kerbside by the collection crew into a stillage vehicle with separate compartments for different materials. At the moment participating in the Green Box scheme is compulsory in some wards and from 1 March 2007 will be across the whole borough.

The following materials are accepted: 

• aerosols
• aluminium foil
• batteries (car and household)
• cardboard
• engine oil
• foil
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper
• plastic bottles
• shoes
• textiles
• yellow pages

Organic waste

A green garden waste collection serves 15,000 properties using a 140 litre brown wheeled bin or compostable brown sacks for residents limited road access. This is a fortnightly collection for hedge cuttings, small branches, dead flowers, leaves and other garden waste. Material is collected using a compaction vehicle

The Blue Bin scheme collects kitchen scraps for composting. Two blue bins are provided for each household: the small 7 litre caddy is to keep in the kitchen and used to transport the scraps to the large 20 litre bin outside. This is a weekly collection for fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells, cooked meat, stale bread, coffee grounds and other organic waste. 51,000 households are served by the scheme.  

Dry Recycling

35,000 households are served by bring recycling systems. Residents bring recyclable materials to a set of five separate wheelie bins secured in a frame and located near to the entrance of their block. Material is collected using a top loader vehicle. The following materials are accepted:

• aerosols
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper

Hackney is also conducting three estates recycling trials:

Trial A serves 5,000 households with a weekly door to door scheme collecting recyclable materials in single use recycled plastic orange sacks. This collection is co-mingled; the sacks are collected from residents door step and taken down to a compaction vehicle so that the materials can be sorted later.

Trial B serves a further 5,000 households with a weekly door to door scheme collecting recyclable materials in a green reusable bag. This collection is kerbside sort; the recyclables are sorted into different materials and collected in an enclosed van.

Trial C provides residents with orange sack to take their recyclable materials to a central 1,100 litre co-mingled Eurobin.

Organics

East London Community Recycling Partnership (ELCRP) also collects food waste from 4,250 households. Residents have a 7 litre kitchen caddy for all food waste (including meat), degradable liners and EM Bakashi (a microbiological system that reduces odours). The caddies are collected on a weekly basis and taken for composting on the estate, in a rocket in-vessel composter.

Reuse and Recycling Centre

There is no Household Reuse and Recycling Centre in the London Borough of Hackney. However, residents are permitted to use the facilities in the neighboring borough of Islington:

Hornsey Street
London
N7 8HR

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

Bring Banks

There are 80 bring sites collecting the following materials separately in 1,100 litre euro bins (there is one bin for each materials, an average site is made up of five bins):

• aerosols
• drinks cartons (9sites only)
• glass bottles and jars
• mixed cans
• paper
• plastic bottles

Shoes and textiles are collected at certain sites, operated by a third party.

Home Composting

Hackney offers residents the chance to purchase a subsidised compost bin or wormery to compost their garden and kitchen waste at home. A 220 litre compost bin, a 300 litre compost bin and a 90 litre wormery can be bought from the council with up to 70% of the total cost. Approximately 2000 have been sold since the scheme began in 2001.

Hackney is working in partnership with London Community Recycling Network to provide a helpline to any residents interested in learning more about home composting. Please call 0207 324 4690.

Real Nappies

Hackney promotes the use of real nappies to parents and provides a £54 subsidy toward the cost of real nappies or use of a laundering service.

Real Nappies for London is a new London-wide scheme to provide parents with an opportunity to try real nappies.  Hackney 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

Junk Mail Reduction

Hackney encourages residents to register with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) to reduce the amount of unwanted mail they receive.

For more information visit: www.mpsonline.org.uk

"No junk mail" stickers are available for residents to stick on their front door.

Waste Exchange

Hackney runs "Bring and Take" days, which give residents the chance to bring unwanted items, which might otherwise have been thrown away, to be taken away and used by others.

Material Aware Shopping

Hackney promotes green shopping to its residents by distributing cloth shopping bags at events and encouraging residents to sign a green shopping pledge.

Bulky Waste Service

Hackney Council will collect bulky items for free. The service will collect up to five items each visit, and is available to all residents for up to four collections per year.

Any furniture in reusable condition and electrical items that are in good working order are passed to a shop called Morph. This is a youth training project which recycles, restores and updates items so they can be reused for those on low incomes.

Examples of what can be collected through the Bulky Waste Service: all household furniture, garden furniture, beds, fridges, stoves, electrical items, large quantities of cardboard, wood and garden waste.

Residual Waste

Residual household waste is collected weekly using refuse sacks.

Commercial Waste and Recycling

The council operates commercial waste and recycling collections. Currently 152 businesses are served by a glass recycling collection. Frequency of collection and the type of bin supplied varies from business to business. Material is collected using a compaction vehicle.

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

Contact Hackney   Tel: 020 8356 6688   Email: recycling@hackney.gov.uk