Wandsworth improved its recycling rate faster than almost any council in England last year, government data shows. It is still one of London’s worst performers.
Government figures published last month show the borough’s household recycling rate rose by 5.1 percentage points in 2024/25, one of only two councils in England to improve by more than 5pp. The other was Cornwall, which gained 7.4 points. Of 321 English councils, 69% saw their recycling rate fall over the same period.
The food waste rollout, which reached most of the borough in 2024, drove most of the improvement. Wandsworth collected an additional 10,000 tonnes of recyclable material over the year.
Still near the bottom of London
The borough’s recycling rate is now 27.9%. That puts it 10th from the bottom among London’s 37 councils, below the London average of 32.6%. London itself is the worst-performing region in England for recycling. The national average is 42%.
The contrast with Richmond upon Thames is stark. Both boroughs run their waste collections through a joint service: the same staff, the same contractor relationships, the same operational infrastructure. Richmond’s recycling rate is 42.6%. Wandsworth’s is 27.9%. The gap is 14.7 percentage points.
Wandsworth household waste recycling rate 2010-11 to 2024-25, compared to Richmond, London average and England average
Wandsworth actually collects more dry recycling (paper, glass, plastic and metal) than Richmond: 22,039 tonnes against 19,030. Residents are not refusing to recycle. The gap is almost entirely organic and garden waste: Richmond collected 11,917 tonnes; Wandsworth collected 4,162 tonnes, less than 35% of Richmond’s volume, despite Wandsworth being the larger borough.
One further figure sharpens the picture. Wandsworth generates 427.7 kg of residual waste per household each year, less than Richmond’s 486 kg. Wandsworth residents produce less rubbish than Richmond residents. They just recycle less of it. The gap is a policy gap, not a behaviour gap.
Richmond has a well-established garden waste scheme. Wandsworth has historically under-invested in this stream. The same staff run both. The difference is what the two councils have chosen to prioritise.
Richmond has been at 40-44% since 2010/11. Wandsworth ranged between 20.4% and 28.4% over the same period, and this year’s 27.9% only just edges past the 2011/12 figure. The council deserves some credit for a significant improvement in the past year, and for partially closing a gap that opened over a decade.
| Wandsworth | Richmond | |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling rate | 27.9% | 42.6% |
| Total household waste | 93,760 tonnes | 72,655 tonnes |
| Sent for recycling | 26,201 tonnes | 30,947 tonnes |
| Dry recycling | 22,039 tonnes | 19,030 tonnes |
| Green/organic waste | 4,162 tonnes | 11,917 tonnes |
| Residual waste per household | 427.7 kg | 486.0 kg |
What the council is telling residents
The 5.1 percentage point improvement is genuinely significant. What the council made of it is also notable. Simon Hogg’s letter to every household led with “a 25% improvement in our recycling rate”, the opening substantive claim in a pre-election communication to 159,000 homes.
The same figure appeared in a press release, an infographic, and has been cited at recent hustings as evidence of the council’s green credentials.
The 25% figure is not wrong, exactly. It measures the increase in volume collected rather than the change in recycling rate: a different calculation that produces a more impressive number. Although, we should note, even that bit of data manipulation comes out at 23%, not 25%.
The council’s waste services have had a difficult few years. Our investigation in November found that despite public commitments to “relentlessly pursue” Serco over an 18-month service failure, the council had issued zero formal enforcement notices. Collections hit their lowest recorded levels in summer 2025. Wandsworth spends £22.8 million a year on waste services.
This administration has a tendency to present its achievements in the most favourable possible light, which is not unusual in local government, particularly in an election year. But there are wider issues: a council that talks only in superlatives loses the internal pressure to close the remaining gap. And in recycling, as the Defra data shows, the gap remains considerable.
The direction is right
The 2024/25 improvement is real and bucks a national trend.
The question is pace. At 27.9%, Wandsworth is less than halfway to the government’s 65% recycling target for 2035 with nine years to run. The dry recycling data suggests the capacity is there: residents are already engaged. The missing piece is organic collections. Our analysis from March 2025 identified what has held that back, including around 10,000 flats above shops that are hard to service. This year’s data shows those barriers are not immovable.
Wandsworth’s new Simpler Recycling rules, which came into force at the end of March, added four new material streams. If participation holds, the 2025/26 rate should improve further.
As you’ve said, the difference looks like it predominantly comes from the volume of green/garden waste. Does that not suggest that perhaps there are more/larger private gardens in Richmond &/or more people keen on gardening therefore tidying up & creating more garden waste? I think the more important stat is the residual waste & not only that but the residual waste per household or per person, both of which are v slightly lower in Wands than in Richmond. And if you then look at the change in that measure from 2023/4 to 2024/5, you’ll see that Wandswoth have reduced residual waste per household by 5% & Richmond by 4% (vs no change across total London boroughs) – so I think we’re doing alright!