Getting technical about recycling

Throwing something in the bin is a simple action. But when it comes to understanding what happens next to our waste and recycling, we often underestimate the complex processes involved in each stage from collection to reprocessing. Here’s a closer look at how waste and recycling works in Redbridge.

Our role as a waste collection authority

Redbridge is a waste collection authority. This means we’re legally responsible for collecting household waste and recycling. Once collected, everything is passed to the East London Waste Authority (ELWA), our joint waste disposal authority.


ELWA covers Redbridge, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, and Havering. Its disposal contractor, Biffa, manages the waste we send to them and effectively takes ownership once we hand it over. ELWA’s contract with Biffa runs until the end of 2027. It was set up to prioritise diverting waste from landfill, and it performs well in this area, currently diverting more than 99% of waste. However, it is less effective for increasing recycling, which wasn’t the main focus when the contract began.

What happens to my rubbish?

This remaining waste goes to the Jenkins Lane waste management facility, where it is treated through mechanical biological treatment (MBT).

MBT dries the waste, reducing its volume by about a third. It also helps separate any remaining recyclable materials and creates refuse‑derived fuel (RDF), which can be used instead of fossil fuels to generate energy.

This treatment process helps Biffa increase recycling and prevents waste from going to landfill. Find out more about the East London Waste Authority and the waste management treatment facility on their website.

 

What we currently collect for recycling and why

As a waste collection authority, Redbridge can only collect materials that the East London Waste Authority (ELWA) can accept and reprocess. ELWA’s contractor, Biffa, manages the sorting and treatment facilities for our recycling and residual waste.

A successful recycling system depends on collecting clean, consistent material streams. This allows high‑quality bales of recycling to be sold on for reprocessing, making the best use of the original materials. The way collections are set up and sorted plays a big role in this, and these systems differ across the UK.

At present, ELWA’s facilities are built to handle exactly the materials we collect. We continue to work with them to explore options for adding more items to the service.

From 31 March 2026, all councils in England must collect the following materials as part of the Government’s Simpler Recycling Policy. These items will be accepted in Redbridge:

  • Paper and card, including envelopes with windows
  • Tins and cans
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Plastic bottles (rinse, squash, replace the lid)
  • Plastic pots, tubs and trays (rinse, no food residue, stack where possible, no black plastic)
  • Plastic tubes such as face wash tubes (clean and empty)
  • Cartons and Tetra Paks such as juice or chopped tomato cartons (rinse, squash, replace the lid if there is one)
  • Empty aerosol cans
  • Clean foil, including foil trays
  • Garden waste
  • Food waste (we are currently rolling this service out across the borough, for more information about food waste recycling in your area please see our dedicated webpage.)

 

What happens to my recycling?

Recycling in Redbridge is collected using split‑body vehicles. Paper and card go into one side, while mixed recycling such as plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, tins, cans and glass bottles and jars go into the other.

After collection, all recycling is taken to the Ilford Recycling Centre. Paper and card are tipped into a dedicated bay, baled and sent for reprocessing. Mixed recycling goes through a material recovery facility (MRF), where the different materials are separated using a combination of trommel screens, air jets, magnets and manual sorting. Once separated, each material is baled and sold to be reprocessed.

During reprocessing, materials are washed, then pulped or melted so they can be turned into new products. Only materials with similar properties can be recycled together. This is why we accept some plastic, glass and metal items, but not others, as melting points and material quality vary.

Alongside kerbside recycling and on-street recycling banks, many more items can be taken to Chigwell Road Reuse and Recycling Centre for reuse or recycling. These include furniture, white goods, rubble, wood, textiles, ceramics, hard plastics, bicycles, electrical items, paint and more. In 2020/21, 67% of everything taken to the site was reused or recycled.
We also work with the charity TRAID, who offer free, bookable doorstep collections of clothes and textiles in Redbridge and other London boroughs.

What is contamination?

Our recycling box service allows crews to carry out a kerbside sort. This means items we don’t accept can be left behind with a note explaining why.

However, some unsuitable or dirty items do still make it into the recycling. At the moment, around 15% of the recycling collected in Redbridge is considered contamination. This refers to items that can’t be recycled through the Ilford facility. For example, a hard plastic toy can’t be recycled with plastic bottles, so it is removed and sent to an energy‑from‑waste plant for energy recovery.

Some types of contamination can cause particular problems. Food waste is a good example, as it can spoil otherwise recyclable materials in the load. Keeping items clean, dry and only placing accepted materials in your recycling box helps ensure more of your recycling can be recovered.

 

Materials in the spotlight

Over the next two years we’ll be adding new materials to our kerbside recycling service to meet the Government’s Simpler Recycling Policy. These items haven’t been collected before, so we’re making some changes to how the service works. Here’s what’s happening.

Food waste

Redbridge started separate food waste collections in November 2025 to help reduce the environmental and economic impact of food waste. The service is currently available to 10,000 properties and will continue to roll out across the borough in phases. We will send you a letter when it's coming to your area.

For properties awaiting a food waste collection service, Redbridge’s waste is processed at the Jenkins Lane waste management facility. It is not incinerated or sent to landfill. Instead, recyclable materials are further separated from the refuse, including organic material which is sent on for composting. The biodegradable fraction, which includes food waste, is used to produce heat that helps power the process.

To help reduce food waste at home, we encourage residents to 'Love Food and Hate Waste' by:

  • Planning what to buy
  • Portioning correctly
  • Storing food to make it last
  • Using up leftovers
  • Sharing excess with friends, neighbours or charities

Home composting is another great way to reduce the volume of waste in your wheelie bin. Fruit and veg scraps, garden clippings, and bedding from vegetarian pets can be turned into nutrient-rich compost. You don’t need to be a keen gardener or have lots of space to give composting a go.
Redbridge has several community compost sites in parks across the borough, the sites are accessible during park opening times and are particularly useful for those local to the parks, who are unable to compost at home due to lack of outside space. A full list of community composting location can be found on our home composting webpage.
From an environmental point of view, composting at home is even better than using a collection service, as it avoids the transport and processing emissions associated with kerbside collection.

Cartons and tubes

From 31 March 2026, as part of the Government’s Simpler Recycling policy, we’ll start accepting food and drink cartons. This includes Tetra Pak‑style cartons such as juice, milk or chopped tomato cartons. We’ll also accept clean tubes, like empty facewash tubes. Put these in your mixed recycling box.

Takeaway coffee cups

Coffee cups can’t go in your kerbside recycling because they’re made from a mix of materials that are difficult to separate. Most takeaway cups are lined with a thin layer of plastic to stop them leaking. This plastic is bonded to the cardboard, and standard recycling facilities can’t separate the two.

Even when cups look like plain cardboard, they usually have this hidden lining. Any leftover liquid or food makes the problem worse, as it can contaminate other items in the recycling lorry.

Specialist recycling plants can process these cups, but they aren’t part of normal kerbside collections. Many coffee shops now offer in‑store recycling points, so that’s the best place to take them. You can also take coffee cups to Chigwell Road RRC.

How this differs from carton recycling:

Coffee cups are harder to recycle. Their plastic lining is bonded more firmly, varies between brands, and isn’t designed for easy removal. Because of this, cups need a specialist process that kerbside recycling can’t offer.

Our goal to reduce waste

We’re committed to working with residents to cut waste and reduce the environmental, carbon and financial costs of collection and treatment. Producing less waste also improves local streets and the wider environment.

The Neighbourhood Engagement and Education Team in Redbridge offer a range of opportunities to help residents learn more about how to reduce waste and improve the local area. Through the team, you can find out:

  • How to reduce waste by composting at home.
  • How to save money and waste by trialling reusable, washable nappies.
  • How to save money and waste on grocery bills.
  • How to repair to save money and waste.

 

Wheelie bins for recycling

The Council has confirmed that it will be rolling out wheelie bins for recycling collections from 2027 onwards.

The recent budget adopted by full Council included just over £8 million for the roll out of wheelie bins for recycling and modernisation of the Council's waste collection service. This also included the next phase of the roll out of a food waste collection service in 2026.

This followed the adoption of a cabinet report on 11th September 2025 to enhance recycling services in Redbridge by moving to wheeled bins for collection during 2027.

This change will give residents more space to recycle, will reduce wind-blown litter, and reduce manual handling for our crews. This change will contribute to cleaner streets across the borough. This is part of our commitment to improving services and encouraging more recycling across Redbridge.

It follows the successful transition to wheelie bins for residual (black bag) waste in 2021 which helped reduce litter caused by waste collections and also helped reduce waste volumes and improve recycling rates.

We’ll share further details, timelines and guidance for residents as the plans are developed across all our communications channels. There is currently a trial of this system on Eastern Avenue, where safety considerations impact recycling box collections. This scheme is working well and has been welcomed by residents.  

 

The future nationally

Nationally, the UK Government is in the process of developing several new policies on waste and recycling. These policies could see some of the costs of managing packaging waste being picked up by producers (such as brands and retailers) rather than the taxpayer. The Government is also looking at introducing new requirements for the range of items and materials that residents and businesses should be able to recycle.

The Government is also looking at the possibility of a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, which will provide new recycling opportunities for residents.

Currently, details of requirements, a transition period or funding have not yet been confirmed. In Redbridge, we will be working with our partner London boroughs and ELWA to understand the new opportunities, requirements and funding proposals so that we can start to plan for our future services as we aspire to reach a 50% recycling rate and reduced household waste figure.