It's been almost one year since Merton Council introduced its new waste and recycling collection service as part of its plans to increase the borough's recycling rate from 37% to 45% within 12 months.
So how has it gone?
Here is a short summary of some facts and figures from a report to the Sustainable Communities Scrutiny and Overview Committee in September 2019.
75% of households experienced a change in their collections from Day 1
There are 68,000 kerbside properties, resulting in 680,000 collections each month
There are 16,000 flats, resulting in 128,000 collections a month
Over the year:
There has been a 12% reduction in refuse (equal to around 480 tonnes a month)
Food waste recycling participation has increased to over 70% or 191 tonnes per month (accounting for some of the refuse reduction)
There is a current recycling rate of 47%. If Merton reaches 48% the borough would be in the top 25% of all London boroughs for recycling
Street cleansing is under performing, with 592 reports of overflowing litter bins
There have been 12,337 reported fly tips over the 12 month period, which is a significant increase
71% of residents are satisfied with the collection service
The UK has an EU target of recycling at least 50% of waste generated by households by 2020, so there is still work to be done.
Read more about our Waste Warriors campaign to find out how you can do your bit to reduce waste and increase recycling in Merton.