Today North London Waste Authority (NLWA) opened a six-week consultation with residents on the future of the Gateway Road Reuse and Recycling Centre (RRC) in Waltham Forest. The consultation will allow NLWA to assess the potential impacts of a proposed site closure in November 2024.
The operation of NLWA RRCs is paid for solely by public funds, and at a time when local government budgets are under increasing pressure, it is more important than ever that we provide the best value for our councils and taxpayers. While we will always regret the need to consider closure of a site or service, we are confident this solution will allow us to offer the best value for money for residents without compromising their ability to reuse and recycle unwanted items.
In recent years the services NLWA and Waltham Forest offer have increased and improved significantly. Waltham Forest now collects the widest range of domestic materials from the doorstep in London for reuse and recycling, such as waste electrical equipment, coffee pods, batteries, textiles and soon-to-be introduced print cartridges, alongside more traditional items. Our RRCs now accept a wider range of materials than ever before (including mattresses, polystyrene, hard plastics and DIY materials for example) and in July 2024 we opened a new, state-of-the-art RRC at the Edmonton EcoPark to offer an additional point of service for all north London residents. This increased level of service has allowed us to consider where we might be able to scale back or cease other operations that are no longer providing value for money.
In discussions with Bywaters, the private company that manages the Gateway Road Reuse and Recycling Centre, we have been advised that keeping the site open would result in a significant and unavoidable cost increase. In cases such as this, when factors change or costs increase, it is our responsibility as a publicly funded body to reconsider our position to ensure we continue to spend taxpayer money in the most efficient way. With the additional services we now offer and the new RRC at Edmonton EcoPark, we are confident that without Gateway Road residents will still be able to easily and efficiently dispose of their waste.
The closure of Gateway Road has not yet been decided, as we want any decision on the future of the site to be fully informed by what impacts residents tell us this would have on them. As such, we are inviting residents to take part in a consultation to let us know how they currently use the site and what alternative service arrangements they would need going forward. This approach was endorsed by Members at the NLWA Authority meeting on 30 July.
The consultation period will run for six weeks, from Wednesday 31 July to Wednesday 11 September. Residents can participate online, over the phone, or in person at the site. Following this period we will assess all responses provided and we expect to make a decision on the future of the site in late September.
Residents can complete the online survey now to share their views. They can also visit our FAQ webpage to get more information about the consultation period and NLWA’s proposal.
