With new webcam to view length of queues
Residents disposing of rubbish and recycling at the newly modernised Smugglers Way facility, will soon be able to view the length of any queues on the Western Riverside Waste Authority's website before they leave home. The webcam facility is expected to go live in a couple of weeks.
The Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Wandsworth was officially reopened on September 10 by the Deputy Mayor of Wandsworth, Cllr Nicola Nardelli.
The Smugglers Way facility is run by the Western Riverside Waste Authority and serves the residents of Wandsworth, Lambeth, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea .
The new split-level design separates the public from operational activities, and a traffic management system keeps cars flowing through in a controlled manner. Visitors can deposit their waste and recycling from a special walkway.
There are also areas for the public to deposit items for reuse. Items such as furniture, large and small electrical items and bikes will be given to local charities for resale. If the items are in need of repair, this will be done onsite at REWORK, a workshop which supports a training scheme focused on giving people experience and practical skills to help them find full time employment.
The refuse and recycling centre is now enclosed on two sides and has a roof, with solar panels generating enough power to meet most of the centre's need. This protects the users from the elements and helps screen the plant from nearby flats.
These improvements for residents taking waste and recycling to the Smugglers Way 'tip' follows the unveiling last year of the new Materials Recycling Facility that separates and processes recycling from orange sacks collected from doorsteps and orange lidded recycling banks. This has led to a much greater range of plastic materials being collected for recycling.
Councillor Tim Ahern, Chairman of Western Riverside Waste Authority, said the improvements were the "final piece of the jigsaw". Over the last ten years, the Authority has moved away from using landfill, with non-recyclable waste taken by barge to Belvedere and burnt to create energy for the national grid.
Wandsworth Council's Environment and Culture spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: "These fantastic new facilities will make it easier for residents to get rid of rubbish quickly and safely, and properly dispose of items for recycling or to be reused by others. This will help prevent flytipping, be better for the environment, and boost recycling rates - so saving council-tax payers' money."
September 14, 2012
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