Most flats have a dustbin and recycling bag on the landing outside the back door. They are emptied dally from Monday to Friday by the porters.

Dustbins
The dustbins can be used for domestic waste, which must be bagged, but not for heavier rubbish such as building rubble, carpets or furniture.

Recycling
The orange bags outside the back door of flats can be used for a wide variety of day-to-day items ranging from paper to empty aerosols. The following guide has been adapted from a leaflet issued by Wandsworth council:

What can be recycled

Remember these seven rules:
■ All your recycling needs to be clean and dry
■ Remove lids, corks and foil
■ Rinse food and drink packaging until it is clean, and allow it to dry
■ Squash cartons and plastic bottles
■ Flatten boxes
■ Make sure aerosol sprays are empty
■ Separate your recycling from general waste

What cannot be recycled

Heavy rubbish
You must make your own arrangements for disposing of large or heavy rubbish such as building rubble, furniture or carpets. The porters are not responsible for such items and you must make sure that they are not left anywhere on the estate. Wandsworth council offers a collection service for household waste that weighs more than 25kg or is too big to fit in a container measuring 1 metre by 75cm. There is also a collection service for bulky items that can be re-used or repaired.

Higher charges apply for waste produced during home improvements and building work, including fitted bath tubs, carpets and wardrobes.

The council will not collect bricks, soil, rubble, stones, paint, tiles, plasterboard, cement, rubbish produced by workmen employed in your home, car batteries, engines, other car parts, or anything that cannot be lifted safely by two people.

To use the council’s services, call 020 8871 8558 and tell the operator that the items can be collected from the compactor area at the back of Girton House. Items can only be left there the day before collection. Tell the estate office the reference number you have been given by the council and details of what is to be removed. Alternatively, you can take your rubbish to a council waste-disposal site.

Broken glass and china
Dangerous materials such as broken glass and china or other sharp objects should be carefully wrapped in cardboard so that they are safe to handle and their disposal should be discussed with your porter.

Waste disposal site
Wandsworth council’s nearest household waste disposal site is in Smugglers Way, Wandsworth, SW18 IJS, just behind B&Q. It is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on Saturday and 8am to 5pm on Sunday.