Following the launch of Barking and Dagenham council’s extended recycling scheme in April 2021, the amount of household recycled materials that’s been collected has already increased by a whopping 10.59% as residents recycle more household items.

With COP26 now in its second week and environmental issues dominating national and international headlines, local residents have stepped up to the challenge of creating a greener world for future generations by recycling more waste at home.

Barking and Dagenham Council declared a climate emergency in 2020 and has introduced a range of measures to help reduce its carbon footprint and create a greener borough, including a focus on increasing recycling rates.

As part of the council’s extended recycling scheme, residents can now recycle more household items, including glass and mixed plastics, in their brown bins at home, or blue eurobins if they live in a flat with communal bins.

Alongside recycling more, the council is also calling on residents to reduce and reuse as much household waste as possible, to help reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill.

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said, “I’m thrilled to see this fantastic increase in our borough’s recycling rates, and I‘m really proud that our residents are taking that quick and easy step of recycling more to help protect our environment.

I’m thrilled to see this fantastic increase in our borough’s recycling rates, and I‘m really proud that our residents are taking that quick and easy step of recycling more to help protect our environment.

Our residents wanted to recycle more things at home, and the increase in recycling is testament to their commitment to help create a greener borough. Let’s hope it continues as the months go on.

“If you’re not already recycling at home, please do so. It’s really easy to do and it means you’ll have more space for waste in your general waste bin. We all lead busy lives and one quick way to get into the habit of recycling is to place reminders around the home, before you bin a recyclable item. And choosing recyclable packaging where possible, such as buying a box of pasta rather than a bag, or storing food leftovers in containers rather than cling film, can really help to reduce plastic waste.

“We’re absolutely committed to reducing and recycling more household waste in Barking and Dagenham, and by taking these small steps together, we will create a greener borough for everyone going forward.”

Residents can find out more about the extended recycling scheme here and can get more information on how to reduce their waste here.