Wandsworth relax recycling sack rules

Any clear and transparent sack with recycling in will now be accepted by bin loaders, Wandsworth council has announced.

There have been a number of complaints from residents about not receiving recycling sacks in recent months, as well as issues about ordering them online and not receiving any response from the council.

It has now been announced that you no longer need sacks distributed from Wandsworth Council to recycle and that any clear and transparent sack is allowed.

However, councillor Steffi Sutters has said that the council is in the process of delivering fresh stocks of recycling sacks to each household.

Another change is that you no longer need to put 'bulky cardboard' into recycling sacks. Instead, as long as it is flattened, dry and neatly stacked, you can leave it next to your recycling. Residents have been asked to ensure the cardboard doesn't get too wet and warned it might not be collected if it is.

Two factors are said to have instigated the changes.

Firstly, the amount of waste and recycling has increased "significantly" since the pandemic began, meaning that more sacks are needed.

The second reason relates to Covid-19 infections and staff shortages for the council's contractors - as well as many other lorry drivers and agency replacements - resulting in the distribution of sacks being affected.

Environment spokeswoman Steffi Sutters said: "The pandemic along with other factors has led to some challenges for waste and recycling collections.

"Not only has the absence of lorry drivers disrupted collections, it has also affected the distribution of clear sacks.

"The situation has meant that the remaining resources have been diverted to the collection of black bag waste which is a priority for health and nuisance reasons.

"We are in the process of delivering fresh stocks of recycling sacks to every eligible household, but in the meantime, if people want to use other clear coloured sacks for their recycling this is fine, as is leaving out bulky cardboard unbagged."

The council has said clear sacks must be used so that those collecting can see whether any contents have been contaminated or not. You can find out more from Wandsworth Council's section on recycling and waste.

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