Statistics and information

Reducing waste

In 2010/11, we collected nearly 2,000 tonnes (-2.0%) less waste from local households.  The quantity collected has fallen every year for seven years in a row even though thousands of new homes have been built in the borough during that time. 

The typical Wandsworth household now produces only around 75 percent of the waste produced by typical households elsewhere in England.

Wandsworth has the 9th lowest quantity of waste compared to the 33 London boroughs.

The council has set a target to reduce waste by a further 2 percent during 2011/12.

The chart below shows how waste has fallen in Wandsworth since 2003/04. 

Further information about reducing waste.

Recycling

26.5 percent of Wandsworth's household waste was recycled during 2010/11. 

The typical Wandsworth household recycled 196kg of waste during 2010/11.

Households receiving the orange sack recycling service recycled around 33 percent of their waste in 2010/11.  Households receiving the orange-lidded bank service recycled around 20 percent.

The council set a target to recycle 27.1 percent of household waste during 2011/12.

During 2010/11 the council recycled over 1,600 tonnes of detritus and over 170 tonnes of autumn leaves from street cleansing operations.  Suitable waste from parks and planted areas on housing estates is composted.

From April 2011, residual rubbish is sent to an energy-from-waste incinerator rather than being landfilled.  This means that metals can be recovered for recycling from the ashes of the burnt waste.  And even the ashes themselves are now being recycled as agregate for building roads!

Further information about recycling.  

Street cleaning and flytips

The council's main street cleaning contractor cleared over 9,500 tonnes of litter, flytips and detritus (grit, rotting plant matter etc) from Wandsworth's streets during 2010/11.

The council monitors how clean the land it is responsible for maintaining is by inspecting over 900 samples every year, mainly 50 metre long stretches of highway.  In 2010/11 this survey found that 95 percent of land had acceptably low levels of litter and 94 percent were acceptably free of detritus.

The council has set targets to maintain or improve upon these low levels of litter and detritus during 2011/12.

The number of flytip reports received by the waste service fell to the lowest level for over 10 years in 2010/11.

Further information about street cleaning.