Recycling and Sustainability at Gardeners Barking

At Gardeners Barking we champion an eco-friendly waste disposal area and a resilient sustainable rubbish gardening area that supports local green spaces and reduces landfill. Our approach combines practical on-site sorting, reuse of organic materials and careful transport choices to ensure garden waste is treated as a resource. As Barking gardeners, we recognise that every branch, potting mix and green cuttings can be diverted from waste streams into compost, mulch or reclaimed soil — lowering emissions and improving community green spaces.

Targets, measurement and ambition

We have set a clear recycling percentage target: 65% total reuse and recycling of garden and related waste by 2028. This target covers composting, wood reprocessing, container recycling and material reuse. The goal aligns with borough-level ambitions for improved separation of waste and increased circularity in local services, and it is tracked monthly using job-level reporting and annual independent audits to measure progress against the baseline year.

How we separate and process garden materials

In practice, our teams follow borough-friendly segregation: separate food and garden waste, paper and cardboard, rigid plastics, metal and glass. For gardeners in Barking this mirrors the local borough approach to waste separation, prioritising clean organic streams for composting and ensuring recyclables are not contaminated. Typical activities include:

• Dedicated skips and bins for green waste, wood and timber offcuts.
• Separate containers for reusable pots and hard plastic recycling.
• Small quantities of soil and turf are kept separate for remediation and reuse.

We operate an on-site sorting protocol so materials that are suitable for the local circular economy are recovered before anything is taken offsite. This reduces transportation and ensures that valuable organic matter returns to community projects as compost or mulch rather than being treated as refuse.

Local transfer stations and sustainable logistics

To keep collections efficient and low-impact we consolidate loads bound for nearby municipal transfer stations and recycling depots. We use recognised local transfer stations — including council transfer facilities serving east London such as Beckton and Rainham depots — and partner facilities that accept separated garden and wood waste streams. Consolidation reduces vehicle journeys and improves the quality of recycled material arriving at processors. Where materials are reused by community projects we prioritise direct handovers to minimise handling.

Our partnerships with charities and local social enterprises are central to our reuse strategy. We collaborate with community gardens, reuse centres and social enterprises that give plant material and reusable items a second life. Typical partnership activities include:

• Donations of surplus plants, planters and seed trays to community green spaces and volunteering projects.
• Provision of screened compost and mulch to local allotments and food-growing charities.
• Working with reuse organisations to redistribute salvageable timber, soil conditioners and potting media.

Creating a genuine sustainable rubbish gardening area on site involves clear signage, staff training and provision of dedicated receptacles: roll-out containers for green cuttings, separate bays for wood, and lockable skips for mixed recyclable items. Hazardous items (e.g., certain pesticides or contaminated soils) are isolated and handled according to environmental regulations, ensuring the main recycling streams remain uncontaminated and valuable.

Low-carbon fleet and deliveries

Our fleet strategy emphasises low-carbon vans and smarter routing. We are moving to electric and hybrid vans where suitable and using route optimisation software to reduce miles. For short trips within the borough we deploy cargo bikes and shared-load options to limit emissions. Fuel-efficient maintenance, driver eco-training and scheduled consolidation runs reduce both carbon and cost — a practical way for Gardeners Barking to support the borough’s broader air quality and sustainability objectives.

Monitoring, community engagement and continuous improvement

We publish annual progress reports on diversion rates, maintain a live tracker for recycling percentage targets, and use performance data to refine operations. Community engagement is achieved through local volunteer days, charity partnerships and information sessions that explain the borough approach to waste separation and the benefits of an eco-friendly waste disposal area. By combining measurement, partnerships and low-emission logistics, Gardeners Barking is committed to creating a resilient, circular model for garden waste management — one that supports local charities, reduces landfill and helps Barking’s green spaces thrive.

Our promise

We promise to continue improving — reducing waste, increasing reuse and running a sustainable rubbish gardening area that benefits the community, the environment and future generations of gardeners in Barking.