I was also shouted at when the mask-less idiot thought I would tip the carrier bag I had my electronics in, into the container as well. I completely ignored him and then smiled sweetly on my way back to the car with carrier bag in hand.
Then drove off with a scowl!
Yes please to councillor input. Lewisham waste systems are a disgrace!
[quote=“Dave_Benson, post:17, topic:17001”]
My daughter lives in Canterbury. Their recycling centre is a joy to go to. They take everything (even asbestos sheeting if bagged up correctly) . They charge for certain items like plasterboard and rubble and will only take a small amount (non commercial amounts) but you can at least get rid of them.[/quote]
This shows that it does not have to be this way. I had a similar experience when I was clearing out my late mothers house in November of last year. The guys at the Berkhamstead (Hertfordshire) tip were unfailingly polite and helpful. My repeated trips, sometimes three times in one day were greeted with tolerance and plenty of good humour.
Hi all,
I’ve got to say I agree with a lot of the sentiment in this thread.
In October, last year I contacted Cabinet Member Cllr Sophie McGeevor expressing my concerns about the sheer amount of bureaucracy and the lack of a customer-focused approach at Landman Way. I felt that there were unnecessary hurdles put up in front of our residents in the borough who wanted to dispose of their waste properly and like many, I felt this could be adding to our fly-tipping issues.
After expressing my concerns, Cllr McGeevor informed me that she asked for the ban on bike/walk-ins to be withdrawn and the ban on 'one type of waste’ to be lifted. Moreover, she asked for Zip cars/rentals to also be included and allowed to go to Landman way (something I specifically asked for).
Cllr McGeevor is thankfully very much aware of these issues and along with Damien, she is eager to instil a more customer-focused culture within our Environmental Services and we have hired a new Head of Public Realm who is meant to be leading on that. Also, I know Cllr Penfold is pushing for a ‘community-skip’ programme in the borough.
In short, I hear you all! And we really need to be making changes at Landman Way and try and make it as simple and as seamless for you to dispose of your waste.
If you have another further feedback about Landman Way, our bulky waste collection, or about general fly-tipping hotspots and removal (but a warning - catching people is very difficult!) then please post here or email me at cllr_leo.gibbons@lewisham.gov.uk.
Thank you for the detailed update - it does sounds like the issues are understood and there are some good ideas there, common sense in some cases!
I’m pleased to hear the community skips idea is still on the table, despite the pandemic which must have made things difficult I’d imagine. We previously covered that idea when it was being proposed: Community skips to reduce fly-tipping in Lewisham Borough
Tower hamlets has designated areas on some streets where you can leave bulk waste on specific days. Worked well when I was there, rather than the sporadic fly tipping all over the the place the council would have to pick up anyway.
I would start with scrapping the booking system. The place is not busy. It doesn’t need booking. And if the booking is to be able to trace people, a quick jot down of number plates on the way in would suffice.
I would also get rid of the ban on rubble etc. All it does is encourage builders and DIY enthusiasts to dump their rubbish elsewhere.
And why on earth are we being asked to pay for brown bins when most of the country gets green waste collections for free?
Finally, courteous and helpful managers at the site would be nice!
All true. I cycled past twice today at different times of the day and it was deserted.
Hi Cari,
All of that is noted.
Just on the DIY waste, that is another thing I raised with Cllr McGeevor.
Bear with me, the explanation on this is rather lengthy…
'The purpose of a Civic Amenity (CA) Site/ Household WasteRecycling Centre (HWRC) - Landman Way - has always been a place where the public can bring their bulky waste that they cannot fit in a refuse/recycling bin (its important to note that if the item/s were not permitted to be disposed of in the refuse/recycling bin, it would not be allowed in a Civic Amenity Site)
This has changed through the years where more and more waste types have been labelled hazardous, and should not be put in refuse/recycling bins, but can be taken to the CA Site for specialist storage, transfer & disposal.
The Centre is licenced by the Environment Agency to accept 6,650 tonnes. That works out to just 50 kilogrammes per property per year.
As a rough guide there are 134,00 properties in the Borough of Lewisham. At present, our booking system can accomodate 1,000 bookings per week, which means if all of the properties used the Centre just once, it would take over two and a half years for all of them to get through the gates to dispose of their waste.
The types of wastes not acceptable at the Landmann Way HWRC are not so much material types, but more the origin of the waste. So, what would seem acceptable, may not be, because the source from where it came is not considered to be household waste.
Trades people such as carpet fitters, abuse the ignorance of the public and leave carpets at their houses for them to get rid of, the carpet fitters have a duty of care to remove that carpet because it is their responsibility to remove and dispose of that waste because it is their waste generated in their daily work.
Tradespeople will give quotes to residents and to secure a lower quote if the resident agrees to dispose the waste themselves at their local recycling centre, ignorant of the fact that it is trade waste and should not be accepted at the centre.
It is the same principle with fences, decking, roof tiles and bathroom suites.
Another example is soil. A bag here and there, maybe gardening, but, many trips of the same item, is probably commercial green waste. Frequent visits may mean a commercial gardener. The Centre does not accept project waste (landscaping, bathroom refits etc).
Waste is generally considered hazardous if it contains toxic components that are harmful to people or the environment. If the residents unsure if any of the waste they produce is classified as hazardous, they can visit government Website for further information
There is a massive problem regarding traders seeking free waste disposal at the council tax payers’ expense. We have therefore followed in the footsteps of the majority of Local Authorities in order to keep traders from using the Centre in a guise of a resident doing a little bit of tidying their properties. We have therefore attempted to stop all project waste coming into the Centre for free disposal. It is not household waste and should not be assumed to be so.
There are 2 rules of thumb on identifying household waste:
· If you were moving home, would you take that item with you. If you would it would be household waste.
· If you could physically turn your house upside down, what DID NOT fall out, would NOT BE household waste (e.g radiators, bathroom suites, kitchen units)
So as you can see there are good reasons why this is not acceptable to dispose of DIY waste at Landman Way. As frustrating as it is, there isn’t the capacity to deal with it. If we do want to change the rules on builders rubble we will need a bigger 'tip’ - ie a ‘Waste Transfer Station’, then charge for this waste and have a robust system in place to prevent it from being abused by trade waste. This is not something that we can do overnight, but it is something that Cllr McGeevor and her team are considering at a different site.
Many would argue that it is a reasonable ‘ask’ of residents that if they are paying to have new bathroom fitted (for example) they should also pay the full cost of removing the old one. But again, I understand people’s frustration.
TL;DR: Residents should use a Licenced waste Carrier to dispose of their builders rubble. Lewisham Council - Licensed waste carriers
I’d say the limits on types of waste are my biggest issue, if you do any type of DIY that creates waste that won’t go in the bin you’re expected to hire a waste removal company. We took some tiles off the wall and replaced a cracked concrete hearth recently and then found we couldn’t just take the tiles and bits of rubble to the tip, so we had to get a van to collect it with no idea where they actually take it to. It’s expensive and I suspect encourages fly tipping, or using other people’s skips which gets annoying too! I’d be very happy to pay a fee if they could accept a wider range of DIY waste.
Just noted your reply, thanks, I still suspect it’s counter productive to limit small amounts of DIY waste.
Thanks for your responses here @LeoGibbons , really helpful and a good insight.
I really feel this is something that is needed. It feels like this is an issue that has been around since I moved here. Lots of people do small bits of DIY without tradespeople and need to dispose of it, and that’s much more difficult that it should be.
I completely agree tradespeople need to factor in waste disposal into the work they do, and typically this would be passed onto the client in reality.
Thanks for the explanation but all it really does is confirm what a farce Landman Way is particularly when you compare it with other services in other boroughs - Islington had a fantastic system and you could even take reasonable amounts of rubble and soil.
If licensing for tonnage is insufficient then why are the council not doing anything about it - surely something can be done?
And the rules of thumb… so essentially pretty much any DIY I do myself should technically be ineligible to be taken to Landman Way? So if I take down my fence and replace it I should be hiring a private waste removal company to remove it? This makes no sense at all and this is why you see piles of such fences left around along with those dozen bags of rubble from small diy jobs.
It’s very easy to implement a system whereby repeat visitors can be identified to weed out those dumping commercial waste if there is willing to do so.
I wonder if anyone at the council has ever weighed up the costs of running this site plus dealing with fly tipping.
That said, knowing the above I have a smidgen of sympathy for the overzealous guards running the site now!
Does anyone know if they accept old tins of paint there? If not, any ideas on disposal of them?
Thanks!
Phone a friend who lives in another borough and ask them for a print out of their council tax bill, then use said other boroughs tip.
Smugglers Way tip does not require appointments, you just drive in, and they definitely take residential DIY waste.
What always amazes me is the amount of fly tipping in New Cross and Deptford, the irony that these are the closest parts of the borough to Landmann Way tip. If you’re going to dump a mattress in Bridge Meadows Park then the chances are you drive past the skip to dump it there…
Shortly they are starting a booking system and they charge for DIY waste.
Oh are they crxp I’d better clear my house out quickly before it is no longer an option 
Yes I do not mind paying, far easier to pay than to mess about waiting for a waste disposal company.
Smugglers Way also allow bikes and pedestrians which I am pleased to hear Landmann do now too. No need for a car when taking 2 tins of paint or smthg.
The Corporation of London will collect paint across London as part of a hazardous waste agreement. See here: Hazardous waste collection - City of London
I found this by googling some time back, and it was a sufficiently odd service for the City to provide that it stuck in my head!
We have taken plenty of carpet, green waste (not paying an annual fee for an extra wheelie bin that won’t fit in the front garden!), broken furniture and an old dismantled shed amongst other things in the last couple of years.
I agree there should be more scope for taking certain things, but in general we have found it fine.
Talk to the attendants, listen to where they tell you to put stuff, ask if unsure. Always found them accommodating if surly. Stuff on the “can’t be recycled” list went in the “non-combustible waste” skip if I recall.
I appreciate others mileage may vary and we haven’t attempted a visit during Covid. The pre-booking and one kind of item only seems a bit much.
Don’t be like the guy in expensive car we saw there who didn’t like being told where to park, started swearing at the attendants in an “ I’m considerably more important than you” way and promptly got banned. 
Thank you!
I just booked a collection of a load of old paint cans. The site is showing a 2 week delay between booking and collection, in case anyone else wants to use this service.