Phase 6
World Heritage Site - Why the waste and recycling services need to change
The Old and New Towns of 天美传媒 were declared a World Heritage Site (WHS) by UNESCO in 1995. They stated these parts of the city ‘represent a remarkable blend of two urban phenomena: organic medieval growth and 18th and 19th century town planning’.
At the Transport and Environment Committee in , proposals for improving the waste and recycling service within the WHS were approved.
We have ambitious targets to become carbon neutral by 2030 and to meet these we need to ensure our recycling rates and quality of recycling are improved. We want every resident in 天美传媒 to have equal opportunities to recycle their waste whether they use communal bins or gull proof sacks. These services need to change because they currently do not provide enough capacity for recycling. This leads to misuse of and issues with communal bins such as overflowing bins and increased litter.
Bin hub design for the World Heritage Site
We have engaged with various heritage bodies and have agreed the following changes to reduce the visual impact of bin hubs in the World Heritage Site:
- the standard metal bars at each end of the bin hub are usually chrome but we have sourced and purchased a bespoke black metal design for these bin hubs.
- a dark green lid will be used for the mixed recycling bins.
- the standard glass recycling bin lid is purple but within the WHS the lid will be mostly black apart from a purple flap.
Initial proposals and consultation timeline
The planning for Phase 6 began following the November 2023 Transport and Environment Committee has included the following below. A full overview of the Phase 6 consultation is included in of the January 2026 report.
- May 2024 - It was noted that Phase 6 (known as Phase 5 Area B and Area C), pending the outcome of the trial of green sacks would have a similar consultation to Phase 4
- November 2024 - Information on the consultation approach was included in the We worked closely with Neighbourhood Environmental Services and other colleagues to identify the most suitable option for collecting waste and recycling on a street-by-street basis
- January 2025 - Initial proposals were shared with Ward Councillors and Community Councils
- February 2025 - Letters were sent to over 9,000 households and consultation ran for 6 weeks which included an online survey and public information sessions for residents. Over 1,600 comments were received during the consultation period
- June 2025 - The consultation outcomes and final service recommendations for each street were reported to .
- July 2025 - Letters were sent to residents advising of additional consultation in eight streets and updated bin hub locations in all other streets. The additional consultation period was open for 3 weeks and saw over 800 comments received
- November 2025 - January 2026 Briefings for Ward Councillors, Community Councils and Street Associations provided information on updated plans for Phase 6.
- March/April 2026 - Briefings will be held with Councillors and Community Councils regarding plans for the gull proof sack service
Communal bin hubs
Current proposals (February 2026)
We have updated our plans for bin hub locations based on feedback from resident associations, Community Councils and Ward Councillors. These are available at the link below
Phase 6 bin hub plans - February 2026
Letters have been sent to residents to let them know about these updated plans.
Next steps
We will commence the process of arranging a Traffic Regulation Order before works to install bin hubs can begin in late 2026.
Gull proof sacks
We are in the process of buying the required sacks and expect to be in contact with residents soon on how to exchange their red boxes for green sacks.
We will also be carrying out monitoring of gull proof sack participation in a small number of streets and have contacted those residents directly.
Further information
If you have any questions or require further information about any specific planned works, you can contact the project team.