The decision was made in September following a consultation in which over 7,000 residents expressed their views. One of the key messages was the need to provide extra support for households that may need more space for their rubbish. The council has agreed that households with five or more people, or which use disposable nappies or incontinence nappies, will be able to apply for a larger black rubbish bin.
Visit lambeth.gov.uk/fortnightly for more information.
Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said: “We want to support our residents to make changes that will improve their local environment and cut waste, which are important steps to take as we tackle the climate crisis.
“We’re aiming for Lambeth to be a zero-waste borough by 2030 where reducing, reusing, and recycling waste are prioritised. Currently we only recycle 32 per cent of our household waste, and we could be doing much better.
“I’m confident that together we can boost our recycling rate to reclaim our position as the best recyclers in inner London.”
The change will initially be introduced on two collection routes in the Tulse Hill and West Dulwich areas in February 2024, with the rest of the borough following in April. Collections from communal bins on estates, as well as from properties that have their rubbish collected from sacks, will not change.
The council will run an education and information campaign to help households prepare. Outreach Officers will visit households where excess waste or contaminated recycling have been reported to help residents adjust to the change, and fly-tipping ‘hotspots’ will be monitored with CCTV to help maintain a clean and tidy borough.
The move to fortnightly waste collection has already been introduced in more than half of London’s boroughs, and the data shows that it works to boost recycling. In Hackney, recycling rates of on-street properties increased by seven percent following the change.
