North London Waste Authority will shortly take over the site and has vowed to ditch the unpopular booking system

Barrowell Green Recycling Centre and (inset) London Energy

Barrowell Green Recycling Centre will be leased to North London Waste Authority (NLWA), Enfield Council has confirmed.

The deal to lease the site has been struck after a tendering exercise for the site’s management was ditched last year “due to concerns regarding value for money and the wider public interest”. The contract with current operators Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd is due to expire on 31^st March.

NLWA will operate the site under its wholly-owned company, London Energy, and has already promised to ditch the current booking system to allow residents to turn up anytime they like.

At an overview and scrutiny committee meeting earlier this month, concerns were raised over what impact the lease for Barrowell Green would have on the services offered, but councillors voted to back the decision after council officers clarified that the transfer “does not remove the council’s ability to influence or participate in decisions regarding future or major site changes”.

NLWA will be required to undertake “stakeholder engagement and public consultation” on any significant proposals for Barrowell Green. The inter-authority agreement also includes a mechanism for the site to be returned to the council.

More than 95% of site users are Enfield residents, meaning that the majority of costs “will continue to fall to or benefit the council” rather than NLWA. As such, the council claims, “residents should not experience any reduction or change in service”.

Financial savings could come from NLWA’s scale of operations and proximity of other facilities. The waste authority covers seven North London boroughs in total.

NLWA is not expected to reduce the range of materials accepted, and could eventually increase them. Any significant operational changes, such as revised opening hours, would also require consultation.

Invited to comment on the lease decision, NLWA chair Clyde Loakes said: “We’re really pleased to bring Barrowell Green into our already large network of reuse and recycling centres for the benefit of residents in Enfield and North London.

“It’s a much-used site, with around 220,000 visitors per year and more than 11,000 tonnes of materials brought to it. By bringing it into our North London network we can make the experience simpler and more convenient for residents.

“One of the first things residents will notice is that they won’t need to book ahead any more. The opening hours will stay exactly the same. Over time, we’re hoping to accept even more items for recycling as well as reuse, including working electricals like computers, phones and TVs.

“We will build on the success of the Barrowell Green reuse shop with a new electricals-only shop at the Edmonton Eco Park, where those items, once safety checked or refurbished, will be sold at affordable prices.

“Reuse and recycling centres really are community hubs. People bring everything from broken toasters and old pans to mattresses and things they no longer need but someone else might love.

“Lots of residents still call it ‘the tip’, and that’s absolutely fine – but behind the scenes is a huge amount of recycling and reuse work that saves resources. Reusable items from across our network head to our reuse shops at Barrowell Green and Kings Road RRC in Waltham Forest, and all recyclable materials are sent onto processors to be made into something else.

“Earnings are used to reduce costs for these services and that helps keep costs down for local taxpayers.”

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