Lithium battery fires

Lithium batteries have caused fires in the rubbish lorries. Please do not put batteries in your waste or recycling bin. All batteries (including lithium batteries from e-bikes and e-scooters and other re-chargeable devices) can be taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Northumberland Wharf.


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Food waste collections

Food waste

Food waste accounts for up to a third of household rubbish in Tower Hamlets. When food waste is collected separately it can be turned into something useful. The food waste collected from households in Tower Hamlets is taken to a special processing plant where it is turned into compost and used by farmers as a fertiliser.

Our food waste collection covers all street level properties. Unfortunately, we cannot offer a food waste collection service from blocks of flats.

However we do support home and community composting. More information can be found on the home composting page.

Love Food Hate Waste also has some tips on proper food storage and recipes that we hope will be useful.

What we can collect

We can accept any raw or cooked food waste, including:

  • bread,
  • fruit,
  • vegetables,
  • meat and bones,
  • fish and
  • plate scrapings.

 

 

Foodwaste

What we can't collect

Unfortunately we cannot take

  • oil, fats or liquids
  • any type of plastic carrier bag
  • any packaging – even those marked 'compostable' or biodegradable' – as this takes too long to break down
  • nappies
  • other rubbish.

Never put food waste into carrier bags or black sacks. These do not break down and can ruin the compost.

Starch liners

Food can be placed in your caddy wrapped in newspaper or you can buy food waste liners from most supermarkets.

Order food waste containers 

To order any food waste containers, please call Streetline

Tel: 020 7364 5004

Have we missed you?

Your food waste caddy must be left out before 7am on the day of collection.

If we have missed your property, please complete our missed collection form after 3pm.