How to get the best from composting

Havering Council is running free composting workshops for Havering residents to get advice and discover the benefits of composting on the following dates:

Saturday 26 September, 10am – 12noon Avelon Road Day Centre, 100 Avelon Road, Rainham, RM13 7DH

Saturday 26 September, 2pm – 4pm Bedfords Park Walled Garden, Broxhill Road, Havering-atte-Bower, RM4 1QH

Thursday 1 October, 5.30pm - 7.30pm​ ​myplace, 343 Dagnam Park Drive, Harold Hill, RM3 9EN

Book your place here.

Two more fly-tippers prosecuted by Havering Council

Another two fly-tippers have appeared in court and received heavy fines in the latest success for the Cleaner Havering Campaign.

Mr Andi Pemaj, of Andi Contractor Ltd, a builder and decorator in Saville Road, Romford, appeared at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Friday 21 August. One of Mr Permaj's sub-contractors, who was working on an Andi Construction project dumped building waste in Bedfords Park (pictured), which was subsequently traced back to Mr Permaj's client by Council investigators.

Mr Permaj refused to name the contractor who dumped the waste, but pleaded guilty to knowingly allowing a fly-tip to happen, for which he had to pay £2,621 including a £750 fine, with a further fine of £750 for failing in a duty of care plus costs.

Domestic waste dumped

The second fly-tipper to be successfully prosecuted was Mr Trevor Dawson, of Barnstaple Road, Harold Hill, who dumped several black bags of domestic waste by trees near his home. Mr Dawson admitted the offence and accepted a Fixed Penalty Notice of £50, which he subsequently failed to pay. He was fined £150, with £442 costs and a £20 victim surcharge, which totalled £612.

Full details here.

We now collect small electrical items

We now collect certain small, household, electrical items. Just put them in a securely tied carrier bag and leave them next to your orange sacks on your usual collection day.

See the full list of what we will collect here.

Waste electrical recycling events

Earn 800 Green Points if you recycle household electrical items at one of the recycling events:

Saturday 19 September, 11am – 4pm, Durham Avenue and Elvet Avenue, Gidea Park

Find out about the Green Points scheme here.

Using your Green Points

Points collected under the London Green Points – Havering scheme can be redeemed for more than 1,000 sustainable products or donated to local charities.

Members can also receive special offers and discounts at more than 100 local businesses simply by showing their London Green Points – Havering card.

If you are a Havering resident and not already a member you can join here by clicking on the Register button at the top right.

Recycling selfies are worth £3 Residents can also claim green points for recycling things at Bring Banks including textiles, glass, paper, cans, plastic bottles and food and drink cartons.  To claim 1,200 green points (worth £3), residents will need to take a 'selfie' of themselves at the Bring Bank with their recycling and tweet it to @RecycleLBH using #greenpoints or post it on Havering’s Waste Prevention Facebook page

Order compost bin and get 1,200 green points There are a limited number of compost bins and kitchen caddies available exclusively for Havering residents for just £10.99 including delivery charge. London Green Points – Havering members can earn 1,200 green points, worth £3, for ordering a bin and caddy. Order your compost bin here.

Give and Take Days Give and Take Days are on the last Wednesday of every month at Romford Central Library, from 10:30am to 1:30pm.

Recycle your household batteries If you live in a house in the Borough, you can recycle your used household batteries by placing them in a small carrier or sandwich bag and putting them out with your orange and black sacks. More information on which batteries can be recycled is available here.

Become a champion this week.

If you want to help your community cut down their food waste and save money, become a Love Food Hate Waste Champion.

Sign up here for the next free training session on Thursday 17 September, 5.30pm – 7.30pm at Havering Town Hall.

Green Bins at low autumn prices

Autumn is a time when gardens produce a lot of waste that we can compost if you put it in your Green Bin.

From 1 October you can hire a Green Bin from Havering Council at a reduced rate of £21.50 (saving £14), and use the bin until the renewal date of 1 April 2016.

There are also discounts available for people over the age of 60, or who receive certain benefits.

Organise a clean up in your community

A fantastic way to help improve your local area is to organise a community clean-up. Havering Council can help you organise a clean-up by providing posters to promote your event, clean-up equipment and removal of any rubbish you collect. If you are interested in volunteering for a clean-up, email Kim Smith.

If you would like to organise your own community clean up, email here.

See how to organise a community clean up here

Sign up for My Havering Before you can use Havering Council’s online Report It services you need to sign up for a free My Havering account. Simply click on the link, add your contact details, create a password and wait for the activation email to appear in your inbox, click on that email and you’re ready to use the service.

Picking in the park The Friends of Raphael Park Group is organising a programme of litter picking at the park in Main Road, Gidea Park – do come along and lend a hand on Sunday 20 September. Meet at the playground. Find out how you can help here.

Report dumped trollies to win £300 Report an abandoned trolley for a chance to win £300 worth of retail vouchers from Trolleywise. Download the FREE Trolleywise app from here, and then use it to report abandoned trollies, to automatically qualify for the monthly prize draw. Each month Trolleywise contact a winner to receive vouchers from UK retailers.

Past copies of Cleaner Havering can be found here.