How do I use the clear sack recycling service?
Please select from the following the option that best suits
where you live:
I live on an estate
A "door-to-door" recycling service operates on the Barbican
Estate, Golden Lane Estate, Mansell Street Estate and Middlesex
Street Estate.
Please place all your recyclable materials in a clear sack
and place it outside your front door, or if you live at the
Barbican, in your refuse cupboard, on your collection days.
Your collection days:
- Barbican Estate - Monday to Friday
- Golden Lane Estate - Monday and Thursday before 9.00am
- Mansell Street - Tuesday and Friday before 12.30pm
- Middlesex Street - Tuesday and Friday before 9.00am
If you wish to recycle items between collections and you live on
the Golden Lane Estate or Middlesex Street Estate, please speak to
your estate office or contact the recycling team for details of
where recycling bins are located.
I live in a property without
a bin store
A night-time kerbside recycling service operates in the
City for properties that do not have bin stores. If you receive a
street collection for your general waste, you will receive a
night-time street collection for your clear recycling
sack.
Please place all your recyclable materials in a clear sack
and place it outside your front door Monday to Friday soon after
9.30pm. We ask you to leave your bag out at night to avoid these
sacks becoming a potential eye-sore or hazard during busy times of
the day.
I live in a property
with a concierge
If you live in a property with a concierge, your recycling
service will depend on the facilities provided to you by your
concierge.
Please contact your concierge, building manager or the Recycling
Team for details of your service.
I live in a property with a bin
store
If you live in a property where you take your normal refuse to a
bin store, please check to see if there is a recycling bin there
too.
If there is a recycling bin, please use this
for your clear recycling sacks.
If there isn't a recycling bin, this probably
means that your bin store is too small to have extra bins.
In this case please contact the Recycling Team on 020 7606 3110
or by email to
find out the type of service provided to your property.
I am having difficulties in
accessing my recycling service
If you are finding it difficult to use your recycling service,
please contact the Recycling Team on 020 7606 3110 or by
email. We want
the recycling service to be accessible to all our residents,
therefore we want to know if you are experiencing any problems.
What can be recycled in the clear sack?
You can recycle the
following materials through the clear sack recycling
service:
Paper and card
- Newspapers and magazines
- Catalogues and leaflets
- Junk mail and envelopes
- Office paper and greetings cards
- Yellow Pages and phone directories
- Cardboard boxes (flattened) and cereal boxes
- Cardboard food packaging, egg cartons and toilet rolls
- Drink cartons e.g Tetra Pak and juice cartons
- Waxed paper cups
Glass
- Bottles of any colour
- Jars of any colour
- Please rinse and remove lids
Cans and tins
- Food cans - aluminium and steel
- Drinks cans - aluminium and steel
- Aerosol cans (empty)
- Please rinse all food cans
- Clean aluminium foil and food trays
- Metal biscuit or sweet tins
Plastic 
- Plastic bottles, e.g. water bottles, milk bottles, squash
bottles, shampoo bottles and washing up liquid bottles
- Plastic containers, e.g. yoghurt pots, margarine tubs,
ice-cream tubs, food trays and sandwich packs
- Plastic wrappings, e.g. around food trays, salad bags, cling
film
Click here for
Frequently Asked Question about what can and cannot be
recycled
What cannot be recycled in the clear
sack?
The following materials cannot be recycled through
the clear sack recycling service:
- General rubbish
- Food & garden waste
- Clothing & synthetic materials
- Wood
- Other glass, e.g. broken glass, drinking glasses, ovenware,
mirrors and window glass
- Electrical equipment
- Building materials
- Plastic carrier bags
Click here for
Frequently Asked Question about what can and cannot be
recycled
Where can I get more clear
recycling sacks?
For more information please select the option that best suits
where you live:
I live on an estate
Barbican Estate:
- If you use the "door-to-door" service on the Barbican Estate,
each time you leave a clear sack out for collection a new sack will
be left for you.
- Clear sacks can also be obtained from your Estate
Office
Golden Lane, Mansell Street and Middlesex Street Estates:
- A roll of clear recycling sacks is delivered every six
months.
- Clear sacks can also be obtained from your Estate Office
or by contacting the Recycling Team on 020 7606 3110 or via
email.
I have a night time street
collection
A roll of clear recycling sacks will be delivered
every six months.
I live in a property with a concierge
If you live in a property with a concierge, the method of
collection or delivery of your sacks will vary according to the
facilities provided by your concierge.
For more details please contact your concierge, building manager
or the Recycling Team on 020 7606 3110 or by
email.
I have a recycling bin within a
bin store
A supply of clear recycling sacks will be delivered to you every
six months.
Clear sacks can also be obtained from your local
libraries:
- The Barbican Library, The Barbican Centre
- Shoe Lane Library, Hill House, Little New Street
- Camomile Street Library, 12-20 Camomile Street
For details of opening times of the libraries please visit the
City Libraries webpage.
You can also contact the Recycling Team on 020 7606 3110 or by
email.
What happens to the
recycling material once it has been collected?
The clear recycling sacks collected by the City of London
Corporation are sent to a Materials Recovery Facility (or MRF)
where the contents are separated and sorted into individual
materials. From here they are sent off for re-processing and made
into new products.
Is there a recycling centre that residents
in the City can use?
Tower Hamlets have given permission for City residents to use
their recycling centre at Northumberland Wharf. Contact details and
opening times are below:
Yabsley Street
Isle of Dogs
E14 9RG
Tel 020 7538 4526
Opening hours
Monday -Saturday: 8.00am - 8.00pm
Sunday: 9.00am - 8.00pm
The recycling centre accepts the following material, all of
which is recycled:
- Car batteries
- Household batteries
- Books
- Aluminium foil
- Yellow Pages
- Cans
- Mobile phones
- Newspaper and magazines
- Clear glass
- Brown glass
- Green glass
- Textiles
- Green waste (including Christmas trees )
- Cardboard
- Mixed scrap metal (including White Goods)
- Christmas cards
- Paint
- Furniture
- Media (Including CDs, audio and video tapes etc.)
- Fridges
Visit the
Tower Hamlets site for more information.
What can I do with my garden waste?
Due to the nature of the City and the very small amount of
residential properties that have gardens, the City of London
Corporation does not offer a garden waste collection service.
Residents on estates can place green waste from window boxes and
plant pots in the communal food waste bins. Please empty the green
waste loose into the bins. Please do NOT use plastic bags, etc, as
these are not compostable.
Residents can also take garden waste to Tower Hamlets
recycling centre at Northumberland Wharf. Contact details and
opening times can be found below:
Yabsley Street
Isle of Dogs
E14 9RG
Tel 020 7538 4526
Opening hours
Monday -Saturday: 8.00am - 8.00pm
Sunday: 9.00am - 8.00pm
Visit the
Tower Hamlets website for more
information.
I don't live in the City but I am interested in recycling, can
you help?
If you live outside the City, your local authority will be best
able to advise you on the recycling services in your area. Below
are links to a few useful websites