A new reuse and repair site, the first of its kind in London, will be launched in Acton in 2024.

It will reduce and recycle more waste, ending the need to send it to landfill.

Bringing together inspiring organisations and charities, Ealing Council and West London Waste Authority are transforming an old waste site at Stirling Road into a space for residents to repair, reuse and recycle electronics, bicycles, furniture, clothes and lots more.

With classes and community sessions and events, residents will also be able to learn skills to help live more sustainably and improve wellbeing, mental health and employment opportunities.

Residents can donate or buy refurbished furniture, electronic goods and household appliances and pick up food otherwise destined to go to waste. There will be even opportunities for volunteering, work placements and apprenticeships, creating a healthier local economy.

The circular economy is a system where materials and products are reused in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way rather than wasted.

A circular economy space could:

  • Reduce waste and encourage fixing and reusing old items that would otherwise go to landfill.
  • Create job opportunities and apprenticeships while promoting local businesses.
  • Inspire positive environmental change through sustainable practices.
  • Improve people’s mental health through free classes and workshops.
  • Help people on a limited budget by providing access to repair services and surplus food and educating them on food growing, recycling and reusing.

With this new site in Acton, Ealing Council is taking an innovative approach to waste, encouraging people to avoid it in the first place by reusing and repairing it.

It will allow changes at the Greenford waste and recycling centre where there is already over capacity. The Greenford site will now be open five days a week – Friday to Tuesday (which includes weekends and bank holidays), from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more residents expected to take their belongings to the Acton workshop to see if they can be reused or repaired.

Councillor Deirdre Costigan, deputy leader and cabinet member for climate action, said: “We are really excited to be able to re-open the old Acton waste depot and to announce that Ealing will be home to the very first circular economy space of its kind in the capital!

“We already have a top-quality waste collection service, and we are consistently in the top three in London when it comes to rates of recycling. But we need to go to the next level – we need to avoid waste in the first place, and the new Acton site will hugely increase opportunities for residents to reuse, repair and recycle.

“It is our ambition to become a net zero borough by 2030, which we cannot achieve on our own. We can all be part of a circular economy, and this new initiative is just the start of the council’s ambitions.”

 

 

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