Each year, almost 100,000 tonnes of household waste is collected in Wandsworth - enough to fill Battersea Park to the height of two double decker buses, or the equivalent of nearly 400kg for each resident.

Most of this is sent by river to be buried in landfill sites. However, this is not a sustainable long-term option, as these sites are filling up quickly and where will our rubbish go then?

We are encouraging residents to cut down on waste and recycle more. We are also taking action to reduce our own waste paper. Last year, Wandsworth residents recycled and composted almost 15,000 tonnes of materials, about 17.5% of household waste. This compares to 10.5% the previous year.

We help residents to recycle and compost garden waste by

• providing recycling banks and a kerbside orange sack recycling service, with free sacks
• promoting a cut price composter offer and collecting Christmas trees for composting
• taking part in Recycle Western Riverside, one of the largest public waste awareness campaigns in the UK

We want to install more recycling banks and are looking for new sites. Contact us if you have any suggestions for good locations.

• Find out more about recycling services in Wandsworth
• Get useful tips on cutting back waste
• Find out more about Recycle Western Riverside at www.westernriverside.org.uk
• Get the facts on recycling rates in london at www.capitalwastefacts.com

Buy recycled
Recycling only makes sense if people buy back the recycled goods. When shopping, look for recycled paper, card and plastics. London Remade www.londonremade.com are developing markets for new recycled products and investing in new recycling infrastructure projects - so expect to see more recycled products on the shelves.

If you don't buy recycled - you're not recycling!