London Waste Management

One of the biggest myths in waste management is that your old mattress goes straight to the landfill. But often, it will end up recycled into shiny new products. Over 7 million old mattresses are thrown away each year Almost half of the people in the UK change their mattress at least once every five years. Whilst the most savvy amongst us call in the experts for a mattress collection , we all know the struggle of trying to load a heavy mattress into a car. But what happens to all of these mattresses that are no longer needed? You might think that the final stop of a mattress removal van is a landfill; however, the truth is that many mattresses are recycled. But what does the process of mattress recycling look like, and what can we learn from it? One-fifth of UK mattresses are purchased online The first thing to understand is where all these mattresses come from. Most mattress waste comes from online retailers. In the last few years, many companies selling cheap mattresses have emerged...

When it comes to waste management, cheap removal is sometimes too good to be true. If you have household or construction waste, don’t fall into the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ trap. The hidden cost of cheap removal Everyone loves a bargain, so you could be forgiven for being tempted by rogue traders who offer to remove a full load for a low price. However, this can be a very dangerous and expensive attitude to have. Fly-tipping is one of the most costly problems we face in waste management, both financially and environmentally. It is strictly illegal, but this does not stop rogue traders who are in for quick cash. Fly-tipping simply means dumping waste anywhere that is not a specially designated zone. People who fly-tip don’t care where they pollute; they prioritise their pockets over everyone’s wellbeing. Environmental Agency crackdown Rogue traders will dump anything including builder's waste and chemical products. This can do severe harm to the area that it is dropped in. It ca...

The environmental crisis is a big problem, but it does not mean we are too small to do anything about it. However big or small, we all have a role to play in protecting our environment. London homes and businesses produce 7 million tonnes of waste per year Environmental responsibility does not exist only on a global scale. It is a local question too. The damage to local environments can have an immediate impact. Polluting waste can contaminate water supplies, harm animals, ruin harvests, and be dangerous to adults and children in the area.  There are aesthetic concerns too; often environmental damage is ugly. This is not trivial; it can negatively impact the value of your property. Any environmental neglect also requires fixing. This means your local authority will have to spend time and money on an easily avoidable problem, instead of somewhere else. 80% of Black Friday purchases end in landfill But how do we come into play? You may have heard people talking about a ‘throwaway cul...

Fridge removal does not necessarily mean fridge waste. New specialist factories are opening across the country with the facilities to truly recycle fridges. Why are old fridges difficult to recycle? The first reason is low yield. Companies that recycle want to extract materials that they can sell. Fridges are heavy and made of lots of different materials, and until recently, the only thing that could be salvaged was low-quality plastic. This plastic can only be used for plastic plant pots and seedling trays. It is not food grade and so has limited use and value. This is the same reason a scrap metal merchant won’t want anything to do with your old fridge. The second reason is legal. Fridge insulation and cooling contain harmful gasses and chemicals. Since 2002 the law has protected the environment from irresponsible companies who would carelessly release them to the atmosphere. These chemicals can cause harm to the ozone layer and pollute the local environment. Thankfully there is a wa...

Recycling garden waste can be an important way to save our planet. Here is how you can do your part. 27% of all household waste is green waste The three Rs apply to every aspect of our lives. This includes our gardens. According to a study by Southampton University, on average each UK household produces 288kg of green waste per year. So how can the tonnes of annual London garden waste save the planet? Only 3% of households nationally compost, here’s why you should start Turning your hedge trimmings and potato peels into compost allows you to grow your own vegetables. Not only is this rewarding and a money saver, growing our own fresh produce reduces the amount of plastic packaging used by supermarkets. According to Greenpeace UK, British supermarkets create 1.2 billion plastic bags each year to use for fruits and vegetables. That is 38,000 tonnes of polluting plastic. Cutting back on excess plastic is not the only way that growing your own produce helps the environment. It eliminates t...