It's Time to Understand the Waste Journey
Items that you place in your recycling bin are collected and transported to a sorting facility where they are processed and separated into similar materials. Each item is then sent to other facilities equipped to reprocess that specific material.
Click on the materials below to see what happens to them after they're collected, and head to https://slwp.org.uk/ for more information.
Paper and Card
Across Croydon, Kingston, Merton, and Sutton, approximately 30,000 tonnes of paper and card are collected every year.
Where does paper and card go to be sorted?
After it's collected, paper and card is taken to Waste Transfer Stations in Croydon (Stubbs Mead Depot), or Kingston (Villiers Road). There, it is collected in bulk before being transported in HGVs to the DS Smith paper mill in Kemsley, Kent.
What products are made from recycled paper and card?
Waste paper and card is turned into other paper-based products. To do this, the waste paper is washed to remove inks, staples, and glues, and then mixed with water to create a slurry. When different materials are added to this slurry, a variety of paper-based products can be created.
Plastics, Glass, Cans and Cartons (Dry Mixed Recycling)
Across Croydon, Kingston, Merton, and Sutton, approximately 53,000 tonnes of dry mixed recycling is collected every year.
Where does dry mixed recycling go to be sorted?
After it's collected, dry mixed recycling is taken to Waste Transfer Stations in Kingston (Villiers Road), Sutton (Beddington Lane), Merton (Garth Road), or Croydon (Endeavour Way). There, it is collected in bulk before being transported in HGVs to one of four Materials Recycling Facility (MRFs).
What products are made from the different materials?
Glass is crushed into small pieces and then melted to create new glass, which is used to make new glass bottles and jars. Recycled glass can also be used in aggregate for road construction, glass fibre, and water filtration.
Food Waste
Across Croydon, Kingston, Merton, and Sutton, approximately 30,000 tonnes of food waste is collected every year.
Where is food waste taken?
After it's collected, some food waste is delivered directly to a local Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility in Mitcham. The remaining food waste is collected in bulk at Waste Transfer Stations in Mitcham and Kingston before being transported in HGVs to AD facilities in Surrey and Buckinghamshire.
What is food waste turned into?
Food waste is turned into nutrient rich fertiliser at AD facilities. This is used by UK farmer to help grow the fruit and vegetables that end up back on our plates. During the process of anaerobic digestion, gases are produced and used to drive a turbine that generates electricity. This renewable electricity is fed into the National Grid.
Garden Waste
Across Croydon, Kingston, Merton, and Sutton, approximately 30,000 tonnes of garden waste is collected every year.
Where is garden waste taken?
After it's collected, garden waste is collected in bulk at Waste Transfer Stations in Morden or Kingston before being transported in HGVs to a composting facility in Hampshire.
What products are made from garden waste?
Garden waste is turned into high quality, peat-free compost.