A new way to recycle your unwanted household items has been successfully trialled in Southall and is expected to be introduced to more towns in the borough.

Dozens of residents visited the special pop-up reuse and recycling event in Featherstone Terrace car park, Southall, on Saturday 21 March.

This pilot event, organised by Ealing Council, in partnership with West London Waste Authority and Greener Ealing Limited, the council’s rubbish and recycling contractor, offered residents a free and convenient way to drop off unwanted items and save them the trip to a reuse and recycling centre.

The event saw people bringing a wide mix of items to get rid of responsibly, including furniture, small electricals, toys, books, clothing and more.

Good quality items were set aside for reuse, helping to extend their lifespan and reduce waste, while damaged or poor quality items were prepared for recycling.

What was collected?

In total, 520kg of material, which is equivalent to the weight of a small car, was taken to Greenford Road Reuse and Recycling Centre for recycling. This included 7 mattresses, all of which were sent for recycling.

The event was also attended by Collect4Reuse, which collected a large quantity of good quality items, ready to be passed on to new homes. The most common items suitable for reuse included:

• small household items (such as cutlery or decorative items)
• furniture
• suitcases

More ways to recycle

There are plans for the council to use this event as a starting point and introduce a new touring neighbourhood household reuse and recycling service, designed to make it even easier for residents to dispose of bulky waste responsibly.

Because this was a pilot event, promotion was limited to nearby streets. For future events, the council plans to focus on notifying nearby households to avoid overcrowding.

To stay up to date and find out when one will be coming to your area, sign up to the council’s email updates.

Other ways to dispose of bulky items

• If you have bulky items to dispose of, you can:
• book a slot at Greenford Road Reuse and Recycling Centre
• book a bulky waste collection

The cost of the bulky waste collection service is decreasing from 1 April 2026. It is currently £49 for up to 8 items, plus £33 for fridges or freezers. From April, it will be £30 for up to 6 items, including fridges and freezers.