Recycling and Sustainability: Our Local Circular Plan
Recycling and sustainability are at the heart of our local environmental strategy. This page explains our targets, operational approach, and the community partnerships that power a resilient, low-carbon recycling network. Our approach to waste recycling focuses on source separation, reuse, and reducing transport emissions through a modern fleet of low-carbon vans. We set a clear recycling percentage target to guide policy and measure progress while supporting borough-level schemes for kerbside collections.
Across the boroughs we encourage households to separate food waste, paper, card, glass, and mixed plastics at source. Many wards run pilot programmes with separate food caddies and communal glass banks; others adopt a two-bin plus food model to simplify sorting for residents. These local variations support a consistent aim: to divert as much organic and recyclable material as possible from landfill and into the circular economy.
Our current recycling percentage target is ambitious but achievable: we aim to reach 70% recycling and reuse of household waste by 2030. This target covers municipal recycling streams including paper and card, glass, metals, plastic containers, textiles, small electricals, and separately collected food waste. Reaching 70% will require steady year-on-year improvements in capture rates, contamination reduction, and expanded reuse options through strategic partnerships.
Local Transfer Stations and Logistics
To support increased recycling throughput we operate several local transfer stations that act as hubs for sorting and onward transport. Key transfer stations such as Northside Transfer Station, Riverbank Transfer Hub and Greenway Materials Exchange are configured to receive segregated loads from borough collection vehicles, consolidate material, and prepare consignments for reprocessors. These sites reduce haulage distances and enable faster turnaround for bulky and mixed recycling.
Consolidation at transfer stations also enables targeted sorting for bulky waste and household reuse streams. Materials destined for refurbishment or donation are separated early to maintain quality. Transfer stations feature dedicated bays for textiles, furniture, electronic waste and construction-derived materials, ensuring the highest possible recovery rates and lowering contamination in mainstream recycling streams.
We continuously monitor the throughput and contamination rates at each transfer station, using performance metrics to optimise collection rounds and transfer scheduling. This localised logistics approach supports our overall low-carbon mobility strategy and helps achieve the boroughs' waste separation objectives by minimising cross-region travel.
Partnerships, Reuse and Community Charities
Partnerships with charities and social enterprises are central to turning recyclable material into community value. We work closely with a network of local charities, community reuse centres and accredited social enterprises to divert furniture, textiles and household goods from the waste stream. These partnerships create jobs, support vulnerable residents, and extend the life of products through repair and resale programmes.
Our collaboration model includes:
- Sorting and donation agreements with community organisations for reusable household items
- Textile collection drives coordinated with local charity shops and social enterprises
- Refurbishment and remanufacture pathways for small electricals in partnership with skills-based charities
To strengthen reuse we support community swap events, repair cafés and pop-up collection points, encouraging residents to think of donation before disposal. These grassroots activities complement formal kerbside and bring-site recycling, increasing the overall reuse rate and embedding sustainability into everyday behaviour.
Low-carbon vehicles are a practical step toward a more sustainable waste system. We are rolling out a fleet of low-emission collection vans and service vehicles, including electric light-commercial vans, plug-in hybrids for longer routes, and cargo e-bikes for last-mile collections in denser neighbourhoods. The shift reduces emissions, noise and operating costs while maintaining the high frequency of kerbside pickups residents depend on.
Operational changes coupled with low-carbon vans support our sustainable waste management goals. By shortening transfer distances to local hubs and optimising collection routing, the fleet achieves lower CO2e per tonne of material collected. We also trial alternative fuels and telematics to further improve efficiency and ensure the fleet transition aligns with broader municipal carbon reduction plans.
Monitoring and transparency are key: we publish annual progress reports on recycling percentages, contamination rates, transfer station throughput and vehicle emissions. This performance data informs continuous improvement and ensures community priorities — such as increased reuse, reduced single-use packaging and better household waste separation — remain central to our recycling and sustainability strategy.
In summary, our integrated plan for recycling, reuse and low-carbon logistics combines clear targets, local transfer station capacity, charity partnerships and a modern vehicle fleet to drive meaningful reductions in waste and emissions. Through collaborative work with borough teams, community groups and residents, we are building a resilient, circular approach to resource management that benefits people and the environment.
