We turn your recycling, food and non-recyclable waste into energy for households and reusable items. 

Recyclable waste

When we collect your recycling, it goes to local Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). At the MRF, the team carefully sort and separate your recycling into different materials. They then send it to recycling re-processors across Europe to create new products.

What your recycling turns into

When you recycle something, it's usually made into something new like:

  • cans which are used to make other items such as planes, cars or more cans
  • plastics which are transformed into new plastic bottles, fleeces or garden furniture
  • glass reused for glass bottles or aggregate for road surfacing
  • paper and cardboard made into new paper and card products 

Food and garden waste

Food and garden waste are sent to the transfer station at Nathan Way, Thamesmead. From there, it is taken to one of the In-Vessel Composting (IVC) facilities in the south of England.  

The composting process

At the In-Vessel Composting (IVC) facilities, your food and garden waste is:

  • shredded and heated to 70°C to kill bacteria and weeds
  • naturally broken down into a soil improver product for agriculture and landscaping

You can buy soil improver made from your food and garden waste through Pro-Grow.

Mixing non-recyclable items like plastic bags with food and garden waste contaminates the final product, making it unusable.

Non-recyclable waste

Non-recyclable general waste is taken to SELCHP, an energy-from-waste facility in Lewisham where: 

  • it is burned at high temperatures to generate electricity for approximately 48,000 households
  • excess heat generated from burning your general waste is used to provide hot water for local homes

Batteries

Used household batteries are sent to Vinton Batteries Ltd in Erith, where:

  • batteries are sorted by type
  • metals like mercury and zinc are extracted for recycling 

Recycling used batteries reduces environmental harm caused by heavy metals and ensures these valuable materials can be reused.  

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

We can prevent hazardous substances from harming the environment when we collect your electronic and electrical waste.

Small electrical items like broken toasters or kettles and larger items like washing machines and TVs are taken to the SWEEEP facility at Sittingbourne, Kent.  

At the facility:

  • metals and plastics are separated, crushed, and baled for recycling
  • hazardous substances like lead and mercury are safely removed for reuse 

Textiles

We give your old clothes a new life when we collect them. 

Textiles collected in Royal Greenwich are sent to LMB Supplies Ltd. This is where reusable clothes and shoes are sorted and sent to communities abroad that need them most.

There are textile banks at Salvation Army, TRAID, and Oxfam in the borough.

When donating old clothes and shoes:

  • do not include soiled or dirty textiles as they can ruin other items
  • tie shoes together in a carrier bag to keep pairs together