Waste Watch: Lifting the lid on what happens to recycling and waste

9 July 2025 – The South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) has today published the first edition of Waste Watch; a new report that lifts the lid on what happens to recycling and waste after it’s been collected.

The first edition (covering the 2023/24 financial year) was approved by the SLWP Joint Committee on 11 June 2025 and is available to download now from the SLWP website (www.slwp.org.uk/waste-watch). Waste Watch will be published on an annual basis going forward.

This engaging and informative publication takes the 362,626 tonnes of waste and recycling that was handled by the SLWP over a 12-month period and provides a tonne-by-tonne analysis on where that recycling and waste was sent for treatment or re-processing. It plots all of the 174 ‘off-takers’ that were utilised on a map and provides information on the various different types of facilities that were used. 

Andrea Keys, SLWP Partnership Director, said: 

“The SLWP boroughs have made good progress in recent years in reducing waste volumes, maximising recycling and reducing carbon emissions associated with recycling and waste management. A big part of this is down to the commitment and dedication of residents, who are increasingly trying to minimise the amount of waste they produce in the first place and then diligently sorting any waste they do create ready for it to be recycled. 

“In return for those efforts, it is of paramount importance that residents have complete trust and confidence that the recycling they sort out at home is handled with care and is recycled whenever possible. It is also important that residents trust that anything that cannot be recycled or has not been sorted for recycling is disposed of in the most environmentally sustainable way possible. Waste Watch is designed to provide that reassurance.”

Visit www.slwp.org.uk/waste-watch for more information and to download a copy of the first edition.

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