Reuse and recycling centre (RRC)
Access and guidance
Access to the RRC will only be via Baffin Way and then Blackwall Way.
Please make sure you have read the following guidance and safety measures before travelling to the RRC:
- Access to the RRC is via Yabsley Street.
- Pedestrians who can walk to the RRC are still able to access and use the site.
- Please check which materials the RRC is accepting.
- Please do not visit the RRC if you or a member of your household is suspected to have covid
- You can ask RRC staff to assist you with carrying large or bulky items.
- If you do travel to the RRC, please remember to stay in your vehicle while queuing for your safety. Please do not leave your vehicle until it is necessary to get out.
- Residents are still asked to bring ID as normal.
Residents can bring a wide range of materials to the Reuse and Recycling Centre on Yabsley Street.
No commercial or industrial waste will be accepted at the Reuse and Recycling Centre. The council is no longer operating the waste transfer station at Northumberland Wharf. For queries about commercial waste disposal please contact Cory Environmental.
Please note that the Reuse and Recycling Centre does not accept tyres, plasterboard, asbestos, liquids or trade waste at the site.
What to bring
- Aerosols (empty)
- Aluminium foil
- Batteries (household)
- Batteries (lithium batteries, e-bike/e-scooter batteries)
- Bikes
- Books
- Car batteries
- Cardboard
- Clothes and textiles
- Computer monitors
- Cooking oil
- Discs (CDs and DVDs)
- Engine oil
- Electrical appliances
- Fluorescent tubes
- Food and drink cans
- Food and drink cartons
- Fridges and freezers
- Furniture
- Gas bottles
- General household waste (please reuse and recycle as much as possible)
- Glass bottles and jars (all colours)
- Green garden waste
- Low energy light bulbs
- Mobile phones
- Paint
- Paper
- Plastic bottles and their lids (food and drinks bottles, cleaning product bottles and toiletry bottles)
- Plastic pots (yoghurt pots, plastic flowerpots, and toiletry pots)
- Plastic tubs and boxes (fruit punnets, margarine tubs, ice cream tubs, and gift packaging boxes)
- Printer cartridges
- Scrap metal
- Shoes
- Small electrical items
- Tapes (video and audio)
- Televisions
- Telephone directories
- Textiles
- Toner cartridges
- White goods
- Wood & timber (including MDF, plywood, chipboard etc.)
- Yellow pages
*Any bikes taken to the site are taken away and any defective parts are replaced to make the bike roadworthy. For more information visit the Bikeworks website.
Opening hours
- Monday to Friday, 8am – 8pm
- Saturday and Sunday 9am – 6pm and
- Bank Holidays from 9am – 4.30pm
How to get here
Tower Hamlets Reuse and Recycling Centre
Yabsley Street
London E14 9RG
Find us
Contact
For further information about the Reuse and Recycling Centre please call Streetline on 020 7364 5000.
The telephone number above is for queries about domestic waste only. For information about commercial waste disposal please contact Cory Environmental.
Site rules and restrictions
- For use by residents of Tower Hamlets only**.
- Trade and commercial waste is strictly prohibited.
- Residents using a van will be asked to sign a declaration that the waste is from their own home and has not come from a trade or business. All vans must be weighed on the weighbridge.
- Commercial and sign-written vehicles are not permitted.
- Proof of identity and address must be shown. Acceptable forms of identity include driver's licence/passport/council tax bill/utility bill/parking permit.
- Abusive or threatening behaviour will not be tolerated and will result in a permanent ban. Details will be recorded and the police may be informed.
- CCTV and panic alarm are installed.
- It is very important that all users separate as much of their waste as possible and place in the correct containers for recycling.
- Vehicle loads may be inspected to ensure conformity .
- Discretion will be exercised by the site supervisors if disposal of non-household waste is suspected (such as high volumes of waste or waste that appears to be of commercial origin).
- Only one car boot load per month of DIY waste is allowed (includes bricks, rubble, and infill/hardcore etc).
- Please note that there is a height restriction for vehicles entering the site of 1.94 metres or 6ft 5ins. This is in place to prevent unacceptable usage by commercial enterprises.
- Materials not accepted are:
- plasterboard,
- tyres,
- asbestos,
- liquids and
- trade/commercial waste.
- All vehicles may be subject to inspection of their load prior to admission to the centre and throughout unloading.
**City of London residents must show both photo ID (driver's licence/passport) and recent council tax bill.
For more details on what can and cannot be recycled, take a look at our A-Z Recycling Guide.