Recent figures show increases of 13.5% in dry recycling, 19.3% in food waste recycling, 21.6% in garden waste recycling, all while landfill waste fell by 14%, reports Liedson Moreno Gomes
The amount of waste heading to a landfill fell by 14% between spring 2024 and summer 2025, Waltham Forest Council has said.
Recent figures show increases of 13.5% in dry recycling, 19.3% in food waste recycling, 21.6% in garden waste recycling, all while landfill waste fell by 14%.
In a press release, the council attributed the recycling rise to the March 2025 decision to move most black bin (landfill waste) collections from weekly to fortnightly.
The council also revealed some intriguing recycling stats; 382,600 blister packs were recycled, along with nearly 30 tonnes of textiles, 600kg of coffee cups, 97 bikes, and over seven tonnes of batteries.
Council deputy leader and cabinet member for climate and air quality Clyde Loakes said: “It’s a clear sign that the move from weekly to fortnightly black bin collections is working. We wanted to get our recycling rates up and these latest figures are promising – we are now pushing towards a massive 40% recycling rate this year.
“While these results are encouraging, we know there is more work to do, and we all have to play our part to recycle more, recycle right, and lead the way to becoming a net zero borough by 2030.”
Waste collection in the borough is currently divided across four bins.
They include a black bin, a large green bin for recyclable items, a brown bin for garden waste, and a dedicated food waste caddy, which the council introduced in summer 2024.
Residents who live in terraced, semi-detached or detached homes have their black bins collected fortnightly rather than weekly, though collections remain weekly for residents living in blocks of flats.
Green recycling bins and food waste caddies continue to be collected weekly for everyone.
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