Rubbish, Recycling and Garden Waste  

For general information, see the Richmond Council website www.richmond.gov.uk Telephone: 08456 122 660

Weekly rubbish collections
The Council will collect rubbish from every house once a week. This will be on the same day every week, except for weeks with Bank Holidays, when collections will be a day late. You should be told if there are going to be any changes to the collection, and the rubbish collectors should put bins back inside your gate / boundary and replace the lids.
If your collection has been missed you can report it by telephone: 08456 122 660.
Assisted collections Assistance is provided for residents with disabilities or special medical conditions, and elderly residents who cannot carry their bins or recycling containers to the edge of their property.
Your bins and recycling containers will be collected from your doorstep and returned to you once they have been emptied.
To request an assisted collection: email recycling@richmond.gov.uk Telephone 08456 122 660.

Recycling is collected every week at the same time as the rubbish collection.        

Recycling Boxes Blue Box

Yes please:

• Paper
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Flattened cardboard (If it doesn't fit please place alongside)
• Phone directories
• Junk mail
• Envelopes

• Juice cartons, i.e. Tetra pak
• Plastic bags
• Other waste

Black box

Yes please:

• Glass bottles and jars
• Food and drinks cans
• Plastic bottles
• Aerosols
• Foil

• Other plastic (food trays, yoghurt pots, margarine tubs etc)
• Cardboard
• Plastic bags
• Textiles
• Other waste

• To arrange delivery of recycling containers, please telephone 08456 122 660. This is a free service.
• Your food waste will be collected weekly, on the same day as your Black Box and Blue Box.
• Liners for the storage bins can be ordered online and purchased from all local libraries for £1.75 per pack of 20.
• For more information on using this scheme, please telephone 08456 122 660 or
• email recycling@richmond.gov.uk.

• Out for collection on the same day as your Black Box and Blue Box.
• Out by 6am. The collections start early and pick up times may vary.
• At the edge of your property, by the pavement. They cannot collect it if it is in a porch, side access, or behind a wall.
• Out for collection in the large storage bin, not in the small kitchen caddie, as the caddie is not securable against animals.
• Do not use a plastic bag as a liner. Plastic cannot be composted.

Bulky items: sofas, wardrobes, boxes
The Council provides a collection service from residential properties for bulky items or other household waste which is not suitable to be collected as part of the weekly household refuse collection. This includes items which are in a box, bag or bundle, or large items (for example a sofa or wardrobe). It does not include fridges or freezers (for this, see below). They will collect up to five items for £30* (VAT free); each additional item is £3.10*. (See below for discounted rates)
* Shows the current prices, but these may change.

Discounted rates

• Over 60 years discount to £15*
• Low income (in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support or Housing Benefit) discount to £0*
• Discounts apply for up to four collections per household per year. Additional collections will be charged at full price.
• A collection includes up to five items, additional items will be charged at full price (£3.10* per item).

If you qualify for a discount you may be required to provide evidence of your eligibility and your application must be made through the call centre 08456 122 660
You can fill in application forms for this service on the Council’s website or order a form by telephone: 08456 122 660.  

Fridges and Freezers
The Council provides a fridge and freezer collection service from residential properties. It is important that fridges and freezers are disposed of correctly as they contain gases and materials that are harmful to the environment . Discounted rates

• Over 60 years discount to £15 (VAT free)
• Low income (in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support or Housing Benefit) discount to £0
• Discounts apply for up to four collections per household per year. Additional collections will be charged at full price.
• If you think you are eligible for a discount please apply by phoning the call centre, 08456 122 660. You may be required to provide evidence of eligibility for the discount.

You can fill in an application form on the Council’s website or order a form by telephone: 08456 122 660.

   
Garden waste collection service

The Council offers an opt-in fortnightly collection service of household garden waste from outside your home. To be eligible for the service, garden waste needs to be contained in either of the council containers shown above (a compostable sack or a green-wheeled bin). There is a choice of container so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. This service is available to every household in the borough that receives the regular Black Box and Blue Box collection.
Please register your address by telephone 08456 122 660. Addresses are automatically registered when the bins are hired or if sacks are ordered through the mail order system.
Composting
You can help to reduce, reuse and recycle, creating your own nutrient rich compost by using your kitchen and garden waste. You may be interested in creating a wormery. These steps can help to maintain a clean and green environment.
What you can use to make compost:
Fruit and vegetable peelings, scrunched up cardboard, teabags and eggshells, soft garden waste such as garden prunings, grass cuttings, leaves, twigs, hedge trimmings, weeds, plants, flowers. The Council works in partnership with a supplier of compost bins (WRAP) and has secured reduced rates for residents of the borough. Please call 0845 076 0223. They will let you know which bins are available, the cost, take payment and arrange delivery.
There are also compost bins from £5 available for purchase from the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Townmead Road.

Other Services

Furniture Scheme
All residents can use the Furniture Scheme. The Furniture Scheme is a charitable organisation which collects donated furniture and household items in good condition in and around the Richmond borough area. This project supplies furniture at low cost to people who could not otherwise afford it. By recycling unwanted furniture to the scheme you will help:

• The environment by re-using and reducing waste going to landfill
• The community, by giving furniture to those who need it.

For more information on how to donate furniture,or to make an appointment to view available furniture please contact:
Telephone 020 8755 4665
Email: furniture.scheme@ukgateway.net
Website: www.furniture.scheme.ukgateway.net
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 10.00 to 15.00 and the first Saturday of every month 10.00 to 12.00
Furniture Scheme, Richmond upon Thames
Registered Charity 1017910
Warehouse and Office
1a Fortescue Avenue
Twickenham
TW2 5LS  

Richmond Environment Network (REN)
REN is an umbrella body or hub that brings together the environmental and sustainability voluntary and community sector (groups, organisations and schools working on environmental projects) within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, promoting information about them, their activities and events while also providing a support and development role. In addition REN has its own projects and subgroups to increase environmental activity, biological diversity and sustainable thinking and practice in the borough.
6 Upper Deck
Phoenix Wharf
Eel Pie Island
Twickenham
TW1 3DY
Telephone: 020 8892 0590

The Zero Waste Initiative (ZWIN)
ZWIN is part of REN ( Richmond Environment Network) and is run entirely by volunteers. It aims to help organisations in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to develop sound environmental policies in order to reduce energy and water consumption, reduce waste production, encourage recycling and the efficient use of resources. This is achieved through free environmental assessments, which are carried out on-site by trained volunteers.
ZWIN is based at REN's office 6 Phoenix Wharf Eel Pie Island Twickenham TW1 3DY.

RePaint Scheme
The RePaint scheme is run from the Central Depot in Twickenham and collects unwanted but usable paint for redistribution free of charge to community groups and individuals in receipt of benefits.
Telephone: 0208 487 5240
Email: recycling@richmond.gov.uk (please put RePaint in the subject heading) to make an appointment to pick up paint or for more information.

Unwanted Mail
The average household receives 224 pieces of junk mail each year. Half a million tonnes of unwanted mail is generated in the UK and it takes 3,300,000 trees to produce it. Follow these easy steps to help the environment and reduce the amount of unwanted mail that comes through your door:

Step 1 - Reduce addressed unwanted mail Register with the Mailing Preference Service to remove your name from mailing lists.
Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS
MPS Registration line - 0845 703 4599
Email mpsa@dma.org.uk Website www.mpsonline.org.uk
In addition you can also opt out of receiving unaddressed mail through Royal Mail by registering with their Door to Door Opt Outs scheme. Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS
Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Outs
Kingsmead House
Oxpens Road
OXFORD OX1 1RX
or email: optout@royalmail.com

Step 2 - Stop flyers and unwanted leaflets: order your free "No junk mail" sticker
The Council has produced "No commercial leaflets" stickers that can be placed above or on your letterbox. To order your free sticker phone the environmental contact centre on 08456 122 660 or email your name and address to recycling@richmond.gov.uk.

Step 3 - Avoid joining new mailing lists
When completing consumer related forms, always tick the box to show you do not wish to receive further correspondence from these companies or other related companies.

Other useful contacts

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS)
The TSP is a free service. It is the official central opt out register on which you can record your preference not to receive unsolicited sales or marketing calls.
Telephone Preference Service (TPS)
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS
TPS Registration line - 0845 070 0707
Email tps@dma.org.uk Website www.tpsonline.org.uk

The Fax Preference Service (FPS)
The FPS is a free service primarily for businesses, but can also be used by individuals. To register to avoid unsolicited mail by fax:
Telephone 0845 070 0707
Website www.fpsonline.org.uk

Direct Marketing Association
You can ask distribution companies to stop the delivery of unaddressed mail to your home. Contact the DMA and ask for details of the Your Choice Preference Service for Unaddressed Mail.
Your Choice Preference Scheme
Direct Marketing Association (UK) Ltd
DMA House
70, Margaret Street
London W1W 8SS
Telephone: 020 7291 3300
Fax: 020 7323 4165
Email: yourchoice@dma.org.uk

If any unwanted mail does come through your door, don’t forget to recycle it.