The average Islington household produces 349kg of waste every year. That’s about the same as an adult polar bear, or 50 watermelons! About 30 percent of this currently gets reused, recycled or composted, but to have a real impact, we all need to do more. We speak to some of the people in Islington who are playing their part to make that happen

Roon, year five pupil and chair of The Gower School eco committee

At school we talk about protecting the planet a lot, so we were all so excited at the chance to help name the new food waste vehicle.

All the classes suggested names for the electric food waste  truck. It was amazing that The Food Waste Muncher won! We were all so excited when the lorry made a surprise visit here and to see that it even had teeth painted on it to match the name. We are all going to be looking out for it around Islington.

Our eco committee runs sales to recycle our books and clothes, monitors the school’s electricity and water usage and tries to reduce the plastics in the snacks we bring in. We also really enjoy raising money to sponsor endangered animals and over the last few years have sponsored a penguin, giant panda, tiger and a jaguar.

Our planet is in danger, and we are working really hard to stop damaging it.

Cindy, resident

I’ve lived in Islington for around 26 years and I love it here. It’s great living in a borough I can easily cycle around, and I appreciate that the council is working to make the place greener.

We live on a planet with around eight billion people, and it feels like the consumption never stops. We’re constantly generating waste: I think for anybody who cares about nature and future generations, or who has a love of Earth, it’s very concerning.

The council has made it so much easier and more convenient for people to recycle – and it’s free! I know there are a lot of pressures on people these days but recycling is such a simple way to do your bit, and it helps you, too.

We’re a family of five and we generate one small bag of waste that goes into our general waste bin every week. The rest gets recycled. Once you start, it becomes a routine and habit. I know it’s harder for people living in flats and on estates, but the council is making changes to make it more straightforward.

One thing I would say, if you’re already doing dry recycling but not food waste, why not? It’s so easy and it makes your home nicer, because it means your general waste bin doesn’t smell or need cleaning so often. You just put the waste into your little caddy and every few days, just pop it into the brown bin outside, meaning your kitchen is cleaner and fresher.

Nicole, estate recycling officer

I’m a senior estate recycling officer at Islington Council. We visit different estates across the borough and look for ways to improve recycling facilities. This could be adding more recycling bins or changing the layout and location of the bins to make it easier and more convenient for residents to recycle.

We’ve completed work on more than 40 estates so far, which is around 4,000 households. One estate we’ve made improvements to is Grimthorpe House, where we added more recycling bins, with lovely new enclosures, as well as new signage and information for residents. The work is ongoing, but we’ve already had some great feedback from residents about how the changes are helping them recycle more and that their estate is looking much cleaner and nicer. If recycling is easy and convenient, people naturally do it more.

This is just the beginning. We’re committing £2million to improve recycling on our estates as part of our Thriving Neighbourhoods programme. So, if you live on an Islington estate, you will likely see improvements like this taking place near you.

In terms of what you can do to help, recycle whatever you can. If you’re not recycling food waste, get in touch and we can help set this up for you. It’s completely free.

Consider what you’re buying, where you can, and ditch the plastic bag or bottle – invest in something reusable or hold on to what you’ve got and take it with you to the shops or when you’re out and about. The best thing to do is reduce the amount wasted in the first place, and then recycle what we can.

Chaya, recycling engagement door-knocker

I work as part of the door-knocking team for SMSR, which works with Islington Council on engagement around recycling. Our aim is to try and understand why people do or don’t recycle food waste and offer the tools to help them do it. We go around the borough direct to people’s homes and talk to them, finding out if they need food recycling bags, if they recycle their food waste or if they need a food waste caddy, for example.

Listening to residents, lots of people are already doing their bit by recycling their plastic bottles and cardboard and so on, which is great. For those who aren’t yet doing this, we explain how recycling would help make Islington – and the planet – a healthier place for us and for future generations.

When it comes to recycling food waste, people have told me they worry it will be smelly, that they’re unsure what food they can recycle and that it will take too much time, or it is too difficult to get the bin. That’s where we come in. We chat to them and explain the benefits of food waste recycling, that it’s free, convenient and easy and the council will support you to do it – you can get the bags from your local library or leisure centre.

Any discomfort or possible inconvenience is massively outweighed by the benefits you are making by recycling.

To learn more about recycling, what you can and can’t recycle, book bulky waste collection or to order a food waste caddy or bin bags, visit the council website.