Today an official opening ceremony of the newest reuse and recycling centre in the capital took place at Edmonton EcoPark.
North London Waste Authority (NLWA) opened its brand-new household reuse and recycling facility named ‘Edmonton EcoPark Reuse and Recycling Centre’, with representatives of Enfield, Haringey and Waltham Forest councils marking the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Cabinet Member for Transport and Waste at Enfield Council, Cllr Rick Jewell, opened the event by thanking ‘North London Waste Authority for extending vital services to residents and for providing key infrastructure that supports the circular economy.’
He went on to say the opening was a ‘welcome addition in Enfield’ as the delivery of this site supports the Council’s commitment ‘to provide more reuse and recycling facilities in the borough by 2025.’
The centre joins an extensive network of eight RRCs across north London that accept the maximum products for residents to recycle and are forging new avenues for recycling hard to recycle items like carpets, polystyrene and vapes.
The design of the centre is state-of-the art reflecting the vision of the North London Heat and Power Project to transform the Edmonton EcoPark into a sustainable waste hub. Many of the features have been selected by North London Waste Authority to maximise safety of residents in the building.
This seeks to improve the user experiences with a split-level design of bays avoiding the use of stairs and a roof and exterior fins to provide shelter for operatives and visitors from the elements.
NLWA Managing Director, Martin Capstick, shared ‘the project to complete the Recycling facilities [including the Resource Recovery Facility built alongside the new centre] has provided London with the most advanced facility of its kind and shows how public facilities can be connected into waste management sites to provide better environmental and operational outcomes for councils.’
There are 10 reverse car parking spaces and an accessible parking bay included on the interior car deck. Pedestrians and cyclists are also welcomed on the site with drop-off zones for recycling segregated from car and van users.
A booking system is in place as the operator, LondonEnergy ltd, increases traffic through the site on a trial basis. The system is expected to be retired in the first few months of operations.
Residents are invited to bring over 150 different items including household recycling, large and small electrical appliances and garden waste to the site.
The NLWA website lists all of the accepted items and provides details on how to book a visit
The site has been a dedicated waste management site for over 50 years and now for the first time ever will allow residents to bring their waste directly to the EcoPark to be recycled.
The flagship facilities at Edmonton EcoPark were constructed by Taylor Woodrow as part of the North London Heat and Power Project and construction is continuing at the EcoPark with the community and visitor centre called ‘EcoPark House’ and the new Energy Recovery Facility.