Recycling and rubbish
Your bins
- find out what bins are provided for you based on your property type
- find out what you can and can't put in your bins
Recycling
Use our handy A-Z of what you can and can't recycle.
Bulky waste collection
For tenants and leaseholders of Lewisham council homes, there are collection points on most estates for unwanted large items. If you aren't sure if your estate has a collection point, email estates@lewisham.gov.uk or call 0800 028 2028 to speak to our Estates Environment team.
You can help us keep their estate clean and tidy by putting items out for collection no more than one day before the scheduled collection. This helps deter fly-tipping.
If you are not resident of a Lewisham Council managed estate you cannot use our estate bulky waste collection points. This will be considered illegally dumped waste or fly-tipping which could result in a fine. You can book a book a bulky waste collection from your home for a fee.
What we will collect
All items must be able to be safely handled by two people and should be less than two metres in length. We will collect the following:
- white good appliances such as fridge, freezer, fridge-freezer, washing machine/dryer, dishwasher, cooker
- bikes
- carpets, floor covering and rugs - rolled and tied
- furniture such as wardrobes, sofas, tables, shelves, desks, cabinet or cupboards, beds (base/frame and headboard is considered 1 item)
- internal doors
- mattresses
- mirrors
- water tanks (plastic)
Please do not leave
Any of these items left will be treated as illegally dumped waste (fly-tipping). Do not leave the following:
- anything that can go in general waste or recycling bins
- small electrical appliances such as TV, vacuum cleaner, computers, lamps, kettles
- any glass
- asbestos
- DIY and building waste
- car parts and batteries
- bathtubs or showers
- chemicals, paint, oils, and gas bottles or canisters
- decking
- external doors, windows and garage doors
- fence panels
- fire surrounds
- fluorescent tubes
- metal water tank
- pianos
- safes
- sheds
- sinks
- snooker tables – full size
- soil and trees
- storage heaters
- toilets
- wheelchairs
Responding to illegally dumped waste (fly-tipping)
Any waste left in the open air (other than for a bulk collection) is considered illegally dumped. This includes leaving items at bulk points which are not part of the bulk service.
Anyone illegally dumping waste could face criminal prosecution, as well as further action under their tenancy agreement. Report fly-tipping online using the cleaner Lewisham app.
We aim to remove any illegally dumped waste on our estates within 5 working days of a resident’s report.
Door-to-Tip bulky waste collection trial on Pepys Estate
We are trialling a new way to collect bulky household items on parts of the Pepys Estate.
The trial aims to make it easier for residents to arrange collection of unwanted bulky items. We hope this will help reduce fly-tipping and make estates cleaner and more pleasant places to live.
Instead of leaving items at communal bulky waste collection points, residents can book a collection and have items collected directly from their doorstep.
This new service is called Door-to-Tip. Find out more about this service
Disposing of cooking oil correctly
Please don't dispose of fats or oils down sinks or drains – it causes blockages which can affect your home and those of your neighbours.
Fats, oils and grease cause major problems to the sewer system, and can cause severe blockages when they are poured down kitchen sinks or toilets. When they're poured down rainwater drains they cause pollution in local water courses.
How to dispose of fats and oils, and prevent blockages:
- don't pour cooking oil, fat or grease down the sink
- for large quantities of oil (eg. from deep frying), wait for the oil to cool then pour it into a plastic bottle, jar or sealable takeaway container – this can go in the rubbish bin
- scrape or wipe plates, pans and utensils prior to washing (solid waste should go in your rubbish bin)
- keep oil and grease out of washing up water
- use strainers in sink plug holes and put any collected food debris in the rubbish bin