Saffron Walden Recycling Centre

We throw away 1.7 million tonnes of edible fresh fruit and vegetables from our homes every year in the UK.

Around 13% of all paint sold in the UK is either thrown away or stored in homes or sheds despite over 50% of it still being usable.

In 2023 Community RePaint distributed unused paint to 52,392 individuals and 2,630 community groups - brightening 388,501 lives altogether!

Each year an estimated 50 million litres of paint goes to waste in the UK. That's enough to paint the Eiffel Tower 500 times over!

You can recycle coffee pods at recycling centres through our partnership with Podback.

Learn more about waste, recycling, and living a more sustainable lifestyle with a collection of e-books and e-audio from Essex Libraries.

You can be fined or prosecuted if your waste is fly tipped, even by someone else.

Over the past 3 years, 60% of fly tips in Essex have been household waste.

Please dispose of your waste responsibly.

We have developed some community guidelines which set out what to expect from your visit to our recycling centres.

You can donate large electrical appliances at some recycling centres for repair and reuse by the Lighthouse Furniture Project. These are then passed on or sold at affordable prices in the local community.

You can purchase a reduced price compost bin to help you get started with composting your garden waste at home.

Asbestos can be found places you may not expect, including items such as old ironing boards, boilers and plant pots.

Electrical items containing chargeable built-in batteries can catch fire if crushed or damaged.

In 2023 there were over 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and at waste sites in the UK.

When food is recycled it creates green energy and fertiliser, reducing our need to use fossil fuels.