With the warming weather, now is the time to prepare your garden for barbecues and paddling pools. With so much to do in the garden, you can leave the waste to us with our Green Garden Waste Collection Scheme.

For just £60 a year, you can avoid a trip to the tip, with regular collections straight from your home every other week in peak season from March to November and monthly in winter.

Aside from convenience, your subscription helps the environment, as we compost all of your waste into soil improving fertiliser.

If you only have a small garden or only garden occasionally, why not split the cost with a neighbour and share the 240 litre wheelie bin?

Signing up is easy- join 30,000 of Bromley’s greenfingered subscribers by visiting bromley.gov.uk/gardencollections

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Environment Matters

Week one SPRING 2020

Councillor William Huntington-Thresher

Executive Councillor for Environment

WELCOMEWe have reached a pivotal and welcome moment where virtually all non-recyclable refuse is being sent to an energy recovery facility, with our waste no longer going to landfill. This is less costly and better for the environment, with the resulting energy ultimately powering UK homes. Recycling is still the best way to dispose of waste, both financially and environmentally, it results in significantly fewer Green House Gas emissions. We now need to re-double our efforts to recycle as much as possible, and so reduce each of our Carbon footprints.We are one of London’s leading recycling boroughs but I would encourage you to seriously consider whether you are playing your part or could do more. Please make full use of our weekly food waste collections, for instance, as it is crucial we do all we can, which naturally includes minimising the amount of waste we produce in the first place.It is part of the reason we introduced improved recycling services last year alongside an enhanced website. Following your feedback, we have upgraded the website again to enable residents to report missed batteries, textiles, and electrical items so that we can prioritise collecting them the following week. Many of you have already used this new recycling service, with almost 2 tonnes of batteries being collected in the first three full months of the new service. At 30 grams per battery, this equates to a staggering 64,000 batteries collected. Thank you for your recycling support. Please take a moment to read this edition of Environment Matters, which outlines some of the ways you can help keep our Borough clean and green, which is very much appreciated as always.

Did you know that in 2016, an enormous 28% of the average non-recyclable refuse collection was food waste? While most Bromley residents take care to separate their recycling, around 25% do not make use of their food waste bin. Disposing of food waste costs the Council £1.8 million more each year than if the food waste was separated for recycling, a cost which could be used for other vital services.

While it’s best to reduce your food waste wherever possible, please ensure that any unavoidable leftovers are recycled. Recycling food waste is easy, and is collected more frequently than non-recyclable refuse collections which can start to smell during the warmer months. On top of this, recycling food waste into compost benefits farmland all over the UK, and dramatically reduces emissions. A roll of 50 compostable bags can be purchased from libraries for £2.50. To order a free outdoor food waste container and indoor kitchen caddy, visit bromley.gov.uk/wastenews and select order recycling containers.

Spring your garden into shape

All composted into

fertiliser for farming

Over 9,000 tonnes of

food waste last year

Environment Matters

Cleaning routines are dependent on how busy a road is, so your local town centre will be cleaned more regularly than a residential road. Wherever possible, street cleaning schedules are coordinated to occur after recycling and waste collections.

To check the next scheduled clean for your road, visit bromley.gov.uk/streetcleaningmap Though bank holidays may alter the street cleaning routine, rest assured your street will always be visited within three days of its usual schedule.

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys making a positive contribution to your neighbourhood, why not join one of our local friends groups?

Street Friends help the community by reporting issues such as graffiti and flytips, acting as extra eyes to their Neighbourhood Officer team. They also organise litter picks, using tools and equipment that we provide.

Or how about becoming a Tree Friend? Watering young trees and removing basal growth from mature trees are just a few things you could do to assist the Council’s Tree Team to maintain a healthy stock across the Borough.

Meanwhile, Friends of Parks get together to improve local green spaces, by volunteering with regular maintenance work, ad hoc projects and practical conservation tasks. This spring season, it’s the perfect time to make the most of a cherished green space, while getting to know the people in your local area.

Join the hundreds of community-spirited locals at bromley.gov.uk and search Friends

A FRIEND IN ME

As spring begins, we start our weed control programme, where we ensure that weeds on roads and footpaths all over Bromley are cleared. We spray a herbicide on the weeds, which thrive in warmer weather, causing them to die back.

While the service is launched in spring, we follow with additional phases in summer and autumn to control any further growth that occurs.

In parks, foam technology is used to help control weeds, with this eco-friendly solution more appropriate within the park.

All our weeding methods are safe for animals and the environment. For more information, please visit bromley.gov.uk/neatstreet

Weeding season Clean cut It is your responsibility to keep the hedges, shrubs and branches in your front garden trimmed back so that they don’t overhang onto the pavement or road, causing problems for pedestrians or drivers.

If we notice overhanging vegetation, we will write to you requesting to remedy the obstruction within 28 days. If you do not cut back the greenery, we will issue an Enforcement Notice and charge you for a contractor to remove it.

If you only need to dispose of garden waste occasionally, then the Green Garden Waste Sack Collection Service may be the most convenient option for you.

Stickers cost £1.60 from your local library or the Civic Centre and can be attached to a standard black sack to be collected from the edge of your property.

Book a collection at 0800 389 3804 or email vesukgardenwaste@veolia.co.uk with your name, address and number of stickered sacks to be collected, and we’ll let you know when your collection will be made.

Please remember that we only collect green waste such as grass cuttings, leaves and hedge trimmings, but do not accept rubble, soil or food waste.

RIGHT UP YOUR STREET

One-off gardening

Even the roads less travelled are cleaned by our street cleaning team, as our service ensures that all roads in the Borough are clean and inviting.

Environment Matters

What happens to my textiles recycling? When we collect the textiles you leave out for collection, they are taken to a local reprocessing facility in Bromley to be sorted and separated by hand.If the items are of good quality, they are exported to be used again, while other articles will be sent to be remanufactured into new products.

Veolia only works with accredited sites, so using the collection service ensures that your items will be recycled correctly. Remember that while we do collect clothing, shoes and towels, we cannot accept stuffed items such as duvets, or rugs and carpet.

For a full list of what we can and cannot collect, please visit bromley.gov.uk/wastenews and for more information about what happens to all of your recycling collections, search what happens to my recycling?

Be a recycling champion The best thing for the environment is to minimise the amount of waste we produce, but where it’s not possible, it’s essential that we recycle right.

It can sometimes be confusing to know what can and cannot be recycled, but it is important that we take care to put the right thing in the right bin. The amount of non-recyclable refuse that could be recycled in 2016 was 47%. Today, this costs the Council £3.1 million a year more to dispose than to recycle. Please remember that an entire truck load can be rejected at the recycling facility if contaminated by the wrong materials from just a few households.

For more information on how and what to recycle, search and download Bromley’s Recycling Guide from our website.

Larger bins for a GREENER BROMLEYLast spring, we installed larger waste containers at Waldo Road Reuse and Recycling Centre. These hold three times the volume of the previous bins, so that they are emptied fewer times which reduces delays and queue wait times. This then decreases the number of vehicle movements needed to empty the containers, which offers residents a smoother journey to the Reuse and Recycling Centre all while minimising our carbon impact.

Since introducing the large containers last year, we have reduced our vehicle movements by 10%, doing our bit to improve air quality and minimise disturbance to our neighbours.

If you require assistance in climbing the steps leading up to the containers, please do not hesitate to ask our dedicated team of recycling experts on site. Please remember that whatever you put into the back of your car should be manageable, so that you and our assisting team can easily lift and carry your waste.

You may have noticed new electric vans that have joined our fleet of recycling and waste collection vehicles this year.

The 12 eco-vans deployed and used by Veolia’s management team provide support to recycling and waste services across the Borough. Between them, the new all-electric vans will prevent 65 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year which has the same environmental benefit as planting 65 trees, helping the Borough to become carbon neutral.

These clean vehicles do away with exhaust emissions improving air quality in the Borough and follows the introduction of 36 new collection vehicles in September last year, all of which exceed legislative requirements and utilise electric technology to power the bin lift mechanism at the rear of the vehicle.

Look out for the Council’s anti-idling campaign which seeks to encourage drivers to switch off their vehicles when parked, with schools and residents already supporting this campaign. To find out more about the anti-idling campaign, visit bromley.gov.uk/idling

Spring showersThe recycling potential of paper is higher when it’s dry. When wet, fibres in paper and card become shorter, and when very wet, it is difficult for paper mills to sort as the materials stick together. This leads to the sorting machines, which grade the different types of paper and cardboard, becoming clogged. Consequently, residents are being asked to store their paper recycling in a dry place such as a shed or garage if they can, to help reduce the potential of the paper becoming very wet. The news follows a small proportion of collected paper being too wet to be recycled last year, with options to help with this being actively considered. Please also ensure that only paper and card are placed in your paper collection as sometimes other materials are also included which can hinder recycling.

For more guidance and information, please visit bromley.gov.uk/wastenews

Breath of fresh air

Environment Matters

This newsletter has been printed on 100% recycled paper.

REUSE AND RECYCLING CENTRE EASTER OPENING TIMESWaldo and Churchfields Road Reuse and Recycling Centres are open during the Easter weekend.

• 8am to 4pm on Friday 10 April (Good Friday)

• 7.30am to 4pm on Saturday 11 April

• 8am to 1pm on Sunday 12 April (Easter Sunday)

• 8am to 4pm on Monday 13 April (Easter Monday Bank Holiday)

On all other Bank Holidays, the Reuse and Recycling Centres are open between 8am and 4pm. The sites are especially busy during weekends and holidays so make sure you plan your visit in advance, and check the webcam online. Remember to bring your permit or utility bill with you. For new permits, apply at bromley.gov.uk/apply

BANK HOLIDAY RECYCLING AND WASTE COLLECTION DAYSYour recycling and waste collection timetable is affected by Easter and other Bank Holidays. Please check the schedule below, as some collections will be later than usual. If you are a member of our Green Garden Waste Collection Service, please check the calendar online to see if Bank Holidays affect your scheduled collection day.

Check your collection day at bromley.gov.uk/wastenews

My usual collection day My holiday collection day

Friday 10 April Collection day as usual

Monday 13 April Tuesday 14 April

Tuesday 14 April Wednesday 15 April

Wednesday 15 April Thursday 16 April

Thursday 16 April Friday 17 April

Friday 17 April Saturday 18 April

Friday 8 May Collection day as usual

Monday 25 May Tuesday 26 May

Tuesday 26 May Wednesday 27 May

Wednesday 27 May Thursday 28 May

Thursday 28 May Friday 29 May

Friday 29 May Saturday 30 May

Monday 31 August Tuesday 1 September

Tuesday 1 September Wednesday 2 September

Wednesday 2 September Thursday 3 September

Thursday 3 September Friday 4 September

Friday 4 September Saturday 5 September

Please remember: Even on Bank or Public holidays, residential permit bays are designated only for the use of permit holders and visitors’ voucher holders during the times indicated on nearby signs.

Council operated car parks will be open throughout the Easter period with free parking on Easter Sunday.

bromley.gov.uk/parking

DateParking

restrictions

On-street paid parking

bays

All Council-operated car parks

Good Friday 10 April 2020

Normal Friday

restrictions apply

FreeCharges

apply

Saturday 11 April 2020

Normal Saturday

restrictions apply

Charges apply

Charges apply

Easter Sunday 12 April 2020

Please park considerately

Free Free

Easter Monday 13 April 2020

Normal Monday

restrictions apply

FreeCharges

apply

If you are looking for a place to park over the Easter holiday period, please be aware of the parking arrangements that apply on the dates below.

Holiday parkingGarden Waste Weekend SitesDuring the spring, we open five temporary green garden waste sites, so that you can make the most of your garden in peak season. With most sites open throughout April, one site remains until the end of October.

You may also choose to sign up for the Green garden Waste Collection Service for frequent collections all year round, or buy a green garden waste sticker from your local library for a one-off collection.

11am - 4pm• Bromley: Norman Park,

Hook Farm Road (off Bromley Common)

• Green Street Green: Salt Depot, Shire Lane Spur (off Sevenoaks Road)

• St Paul’s Cray: Cotmandene Crescent car park (off Chipperfield Road)

11am - 4pm• Green Street Green: Salt

Depot, Shire Lane Spur (off Sevenoaks Road)

8am -12 noon• Biggin Hill: Charles Darwin

School, Jail Lane • Beckenham: Unicorn

Primary School car park (Creswell Drive off South Eden Park Road)

Saturday 4- 25 April

Saturday 2 May - 31 October

Sunday 5- 26 April

Don’t forget garden waste can be taken all year round to the Reuse and Recycling centres at Waldo Road and Churchfields Road.

Our Neighbourhood Officers tackle concerns in our streets everyday, but they can’t be everywhere as problems occur.

Tell us if you see or hear anything suspicious at bromley.gov.uk/envirocrime or call the police immediately if you witness fly-tipping or vandalism taking place. You could be rewarded with up to £500 if your information helps us prosecute.

Fly-tippersWe’re watching you!