Forum Topic

Sterling Road ‘Recycling’ centre

Does anyone know if the Sterling Road centre (formerly the tip) is going to open soon/sometime this year/sometime next year/never?

Jann Grant ● 47d41 Comments

I booked into Greenford a month or so ago. Nobody checked me in and it seemed a free for all in there with a council lorry blocking the route to the exit. I had some soil which I was prepared to pay a small fee for to dispose but nobody asked me so I didn't bother to look. Ealing council couldn't run a session in a brewery but they have a loyal army of mugs who keep on re-electing them. I'd even give Labour Lite a go instead of them!

peter king ● 21d

We needed to dispose of some stuff this weekend and the Brent side had slots unlike Townmead and Greenford. It seems to be an under publicised facility in this part of London. If you are going when traffic is light a round trip should take too long.

Mark Evans ● 21d

I think the Brent one still has what they call a Fixing Factory based there - they mend laptops and bicycles and probably other things as well.  I suspect that this may be funded like so many things nowadays by a grant - which no doubt has to be won in competition with other Local Authorities.  We have been living in a Grab-A-Grant world for a long time now.

Philippa Bond ● 25d

Helen, ask someone to dismantle it for you, easier to dispose of.

Janice Evans ● 28d

This is what the LBE website says re using not just the LBE recycling centre but those of other West London Waste Authority (WLWA) members:https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201171/recycling_services/292/re-use_and_recycling_centres_and_sites(Highlight, copy and paste into your browser)

Philippa Bond ● 28d

https://chiswickrepaircafe.com/Check it out!

Philippa Bond ● 28d

More on what is happening locally including some up and coming local Repair Cafes.  (The website is in the heading.)

Philippa Bond ● 31d

I don't know where DIY begins or ends!  I had thought it was going to change again but we've had a change in Govt so who knows. Check out the different websites every so often for any changes.Brent's Abbey Road Park Royal place has had some good repair and reuse initiatives.https://www.brent.gov.uk/bins-rubbish-and-recycling/abbey-road-recycling-centreI missed out the Acton Market 1st Saturday of the month initiative of repair and reuse and recycling help which appears to be very successful.  You can also take small electricals there (that fit in a carrier bag) - if they can't help you with mending and you can't find a new home for them.  Check out their webpages which give even more info:https://marketw3.co.uk/september-reduce-and-recycle-hub-in-acton

Philippa Bond ● 32d

I can't see as it makes much difference where one goes. People are going to use the nearest one to them so it should even out.I did have to pay for, apparently commercial waste (decking boards) so they weren't worried about the borough from whence I came.

Mark Frost ● 38d

"West London Waste is a statutory waste disposal authority and is responsible for disposing of waste collected by the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames."There's a whole new world out here where people are rethinking waste.

Philippa Bond ● 38d

Info was from Google, wrong then.

Janice Evans ● 38d

I was at the Brent tip the other week.

Mark Frost ● 39d

I don't think that is exactly the case.  It is one of the members of the West London Waste Authority.  Looking particularly at garden waste I found the following options:https://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/materials/garden

Philippa Bond ● 39d

The Brent one is only avaIlable to Brent residents for bulky items, re Google.

Janice Evans ● 39d

Yes Chris, garden waste is what I have most often used to take to Stirling Road.  When I was ill I signed up for the Council collection and share with a neighbour.  I've tecently joined the Library of Things and am hoping they will get an electric garden shredder so that I can put more out at a time in the garden bag and it is safer for the collectors.  The firethorn is vicious with 3in thorns that are easier to deal with when chipped!  I only ever went at the most three times a year if that, hence the sharing.  We quite recently took an old defunct electric two ring hob to Curry's PC World and got a fiver off our next purchase.  I think it would have fitted in a nearby small electricals bank the one which an overemthusiastic recycling Him Indoors posts things eg my new battery operated magnifying glass for sewing which I'd left out to show him and the flex for my coffee percolator which I only use when we have guests and which had become separated.  (Why I say mark up your cables!  There's already enough on the To-Do List.)Has anybody been to the Brent Park Royal HRRC one because I've heard that is well organised?

Philippa Bond ● 39d

The grumpy Geordie at Stirling Road wasn't all that bad and I miss him now he has gone but not as much as the tip itself. I had to go to Greenford last weekend because Townmead was fully booked and that was a whole morning written off spending a stressful time in a badly organised facility.Rather than filling a car for a special trip, Stirling Road allowed you to take a few bits and pieces to get rid of on a journey to somewhere else, for instance a walk in Gunnersbury Park. I notice from the photo in the article that the building materials that were at the site previously appear to have gone. The original contract was for some temporary structures so it should have been a quick and easy job. That it hasn't happened raises two likely possibilities - firstly that the site is too contaminated even for light construction work or that nobody bid for the original tender. They could maybe have opened up the yard just for people to use the deposit containers including one for small containers but the fact that they haven't may be down to the fear of travellers taking up occupation indicated by the very large concrete blocks placed at the entrance.

Mark Evans ● 39d

Thanks to Mark I finally recycled my old kettle at the library in Askew Road, a shortish walk away. Not for the first time using a LBHF facility because Ealing have nothing local to the Southfields area.

David Turner ● 40d

Hi Phillippa - I totally agree with you but most of our stuff for the dump is foliage, leaves, branches an so on.I am a huge fan of Townmead by the way. It is efficient, clean, very well run and the staff are extremely helpful and cheery - in fact everything that Stirling Road wasn't! Strikes me that Stirling Road could have used Townmead as a model, sent the staff on some 'happiness' courses (especially the miserable bloke form Newcastle) and remained open.Still, as it is I must content myself that a 'trip to the skip' involves a couple of hours and use the time stuck in traffic to listen to a play on Radio4 Extra.

Chris Blackwell ● 40d

The electricals don't go in the bins in Hounslow. They are placed by the bins in plastic bags. I don't think the suggestion is to place these on people's property but if a householder has left their bins on the pavement for collection why would there be any need to ask their permission?Much as your help and advice on recycling matters is appreciated, you have missed the most important aspect of small electricals recycling. They are responsible for most of the fires that take place in the collection process. Proper recycling of them reduces risk for collection and emergency workers so your insistence on social niceties in their disposal seems misplaced.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 40d

Surely it is just politeness if you would like to 'borrow' a bit of space in someone else's bins to just ask first?  Perhaps you could reciprocate on another occasion?

Philippa Bond ● 40d

People need to cope with change.  Everywhere is somebody else's country or backyard and we have got to take more responsibility for our rampant western consumerism!  The UK and Norway have very high amounts of electrical and electronic waste.  It is poisonous and should be treated as a resource.  So if it is repairable get it repaired or at least think about it and if it still works find someone sho can use it and if not recycle it so the earth's finite resources are not just incinerated.

Philippa Bond ● 41d

Chris. It took argument to get agreement for West London Waste Authority member Councils to allow out of borough users in!  I've always argued for it because it's sensible if we can use the nearest Council HWRC or HRRC.  There is one per Council and now have to book and I don't think it is all that allow it.  Each Council makes their own rules as I understand it.If you are driving isn't it easier for you to take electricals to B&Q (check it is still open not being redeveloped) or Curry's PC World?  Best to always consider when you buy new whether you can take or they can take the old item and packaging and any costs and conditions involved.  These come under Govt Waste Electric & Electronic (WEEE) regulations.  The exact conditions can change which makes it difficult to write about.  It would be interesting to hear what other retailers including supermarkets are taking back.  Remember LBH take small electricals in a carrier bag with their recycling and LBE have small electrical banks dotted around - see the website.  The electrical banks are like the street clothing banks and aren't big enough to take larger items like microwaves and big screens..

Philippa Bond ● 41d

Does anyone know when this country gets it's act together?

John Bird ● 41d

Utterly, utterly useless ...In order to recycle we now have to drive to Townmead and back (a six mile round trip for us and often in heavy traffic) which surely goes completely against reducing emissions. In an effort to appear eco friendly and to tick some boxes it would seem that Ealing have shot themselves in the foot with both barrells. Again.

Chris Blackwell ● 41d

From the item on the 'News' page, this project looks increasingly unlikely, with no signs of any progress despite repeated Council promises.

Peter Evans ● 41d

Thankyou so so much - very very helpful - again thankyou …

Helen Bamberger ● 46d

Chris - Why?  Has someone just recycled the cable for your coffee percolator - because that is what happened to me - and you now have caffeine withdrawal?  Lesson - label your important cables because it is a particular pain trying to replace older things. The recycleyourelectricals.org.uk website has lots of information including about taking your data off things.  HelenStill got a Hoover?  I presume it no longer works because if it does then somebody else might like it - and that's a whole new subject.  New isn't always better.Some ideas...1  Buy a new one from somewhere that delivers and arrange at the same time to get the old one collected. It may cost a small fee. 2  You can get together with others and share a bulky waste collection:https://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/news/west-london-waste-authority-and-anyjunk-launch-regional-bulky-material-collections-service    (I don't know how much.)3  Find a friend or relative with a car and share a booked slot at a recycling centre with them.4  Organise a TRAID clothes collection and persuade them it is a small electrical.  (You may be able to take the handle off.)  https://traid.org.uk/wlwa/5  Some companies like B&Q, Currys PC World and John Lewis will take some electricals free without you needing to buy another. Find a friend or relative with a car to take you and your Hoover or just your Hoover there to put into one of the recycling bins inside the front doors of the store.

Philippa Bond ● 46d

Sorry phillipa - your answer didn’t come up !!! Just hope someone could tell me when I don’t have a car and want to get my old hoover which is to large to either put in a black bag or try to find somewhere to put it - I cannot carry it too far ???? Thanks

Helen Bamberger ● 46d

Philippa Bond ● 46d

What about a hoover - large too put it in black bags and not a car driver ????

Helen Bamberger ● 46d

Personally ... I would just bung it in your black bin. I am very sceptical about recycling small electricals.

Chris Blackwell ● 46d

Hounslow, Ealing, Brent, Hillingdon, Richmond-upon-Thames and Harrow are all members of the West London Waste Authority and each has a representative on it.  This enables them to work jointly on some of the further waste solutions and contracts for us all.  Each Council is however responsible for their own household collections. When work is being done at any one of the boroughs' Household Waste & Recycling Centres - or unfortunately a fire as batteries in particular can cause these - then they can make arrangements for us to use another recycling site.  In fact there already are some arrangements - but always check that you can use an out of borough one and whether you need to have ID.  Some you cannot walk into as a pedestrian and can't use a van just a car and I believe you still need to make bookings.  Most of us would choose to use the nearest one whichever borough we live in! Take a look at the West London Waste Authority website as they have lots of information on there on how we are continuing to move to a Circular Economy and away from the Buy Use Dispose one we have had for years.  We need to consider waste as resource - and that can take a lot of separating and sorting.https://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/news-and-eventshttps://westlondonwaste.gov.uk/electrical-repair-service-directory

Philippa Bond ● 46d

The library on the Askew road.

Mark Frost ● 46d

Here is the John Lewis webpage info on WEEE:https://www.johnlewis.com/customer-services/shopping-with-us/weee-regulations?msockid=0221aaac0abc66f235bebb4c0bc5672bWEEE Regulations = Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment You don't have to go to a Waste & Recycling Centre (ex tip) as there are some electronic banks dotted around Ealing.  As part of Govt Producer Responsibility Regulations those who put these items on the market have to take responsibility for taking them back and recycling them so that the valuable metals etc are not lost and/or are safely disposed of.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipmentSome companies are really good on this recycling take back of old electricals and don't bother about the receipt.

Philippa Bond ● 46d

Thanks all for the replies and suggestions. The Ealing website helpfully tells me I can make an appointment and drive to Greenford (what do people do who don’t have a car?). Now I’m a very diligent recycler. I rinse, separate, pull bits apart all to put at much as possible in the recycling. But having to do a round trip of at least an hour - and in a car!-  just to recycle a kettle is too much. I just feel like throwing it in the rubbish. Instead I will follow Philippa’s suggestion. I bought the new kettle from John Lewis picked up at Waitrose. Will try my luck at Waitrose or, failing that, go to JL looks like they take small electricals regardless.

David Turner ● 46d

And then they wonder why we get fly-tipping!

Vanessa Smith ● 46d

Stirling Road is still closed AFAIK (as far as I know),When you buy a new electric item from a shop you can usually leave your old one there in exchange, and you can also sometimes get a discount on your new one when you do this. DIY stores especially superstores will take small items - is B&Q still there (there has been talk for a long time of redevelopment).  B&Q and Curry's PC World have special bins for electrics inside the front door.  Have you already bought a new kettle?  You often have an amount of time to take your old one in with a receipt to the same company.  Has anybody tried this at Sainsbury's?  Robert Dyas? If it is a large item like a fridge that you are having delivered from a reputable electrical company for a small fee you can have your old one taken away for recycling.  (You should book this at the time and also check any requirements they have - eg defrosting! wiring? etc).LBE have small electrical bins similar to those that you find for clothing ie with that kind of restricted swinging opening.  These are good for cables and the smaller electrical and electronic items but you won't for instance get a microwave in there.  Also they are sometimes overflowing - please report them if they are!). Here's where Ealing's electrical/electronic recycling banks are:https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201171/recycling_services/1781/electrical_and_electronic_items_recyclingIf it is still working - then some charities will take them.  You can often also buy new filters (my bugbear) from online electrical shops eg e-spares.

Philippa Bond ● 46d

There was a discussion on here some time ago about the ethics of an Ealing borough residents in Chiswick leaving a bag of small electricals outside a Hounslow borough home on collection day. I thought this seemed like a good idea but others were outraged by the suggestion.I'm not aware of any alternative way to dispose of small electricals in Chiswick but spotted a deposit point while visiting Kew market this weekend.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 46d

Kettle (and small appliances) can go in a plastic bag on top of your normal roadside recycling blue box or whatever. At least they can in LBH anyway.  As an aside, i don't think you can walk into Sterling Road tip anyway. I think you need to make an appointment in a car.  Better option for a local dump is the Townsmead on Mortlake Road. Richmond have a reciprocal agreement with LBH etc for people to use is. Again, not sure if you can walk in, but hopefully common sense would dictate. 

Rob Reynolds ● 46d

Anyone know where I can go, within walking distance of The Southfields area of Ealing, to recycle a kettle? Making an appointment to drive to Greenford seems somewhat overkill and hardly green.

David Turner ● 47d

Sadly, totally useless Ealing Council have missed yet another reopening date. First April , then July, then .....who knows!

N V Brooks ● 47d