Where does your waste and recycling go?

Where does your household recycling go?

The recyclable materials you put in your clear recycling sacks are sent to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) operated by Veolia in Southwark, where it is sorted into separate recyclable materials which are metals, paper, glass bottles/jars and recyclable plastics.​

Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide of what happens to your recycling at the MRF in Southwark.

The video below does not include audio. The captions used are transcribed below. 

The recycling vehicle tips the material which is loaded onto a conveyor belt where it is then mechanically and manually sorted.

First, disc screens are used to sort materials of different sizes. This is followed by a hand sort step, where workers visually identify and remove materials that cannot be recycled (contaminants). An over band magnet then separates steel cans while an eddy current segregates aluminium items. Laser and air jets are able to capture different types of plastics and finally each separate material is baled, ready to be made into new items saving energy and natural resources.

Use the links on the Recycle now page to see how paper, glass and plastics are recycled.

Where does your household food waste go?

Your food waste is taken to a specialised facility in Milton Keynes. The food waste is turned into electricity and biofertiliser which is used on local farmland to improve the soil and grow more food.

Where does your non-recyclable household waste go?

Your general waste is taken to an Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility at Belvedere where it is processed to produce electricity. It is transported by barge down the River Thames saving thousands of lorry journeys per year, minimising the environmental impact that waste transport has on the environment. ​​

Where does your textiles recycling go?

The City of London Corporation are in partnership with TRAID for our textiles recycling service. Clothes and textiles in good condition will be donated and sold for re-use in TRAID's charity shops in London. The funds raised go towards supporting global projects to improve the fashion industry. Take a look at current projects they've committed to fund.

Items that aren’t suitable for donations can be recycled and made into new items, such as padding for chairs and car seats or industrial blankets.

This means your unloved clothes will have a second chance in a new home.