Tower Hamlets Waste Services See Satisfaction Increase Due to Time-Banded Collections and Improved Efficiency

Tower Hamlets residents are reporting increased satisfaction with waste collection, street cleaning, and recycling services, according to the Tower Hamlets Annual Residents' Survey 2025. The survey reported that 76% of residents are satisfied with their waste collection (an improvement of 7 percentage points since last year), 71% are satisfied with street cleansing (an improvement of 8 percentage points), and 78% are satisfied with their recycling services (an improvement of 5 percentage points).

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee received an update on waste services in the borough at their meeting on Tuesday, 25 November 2025. The report pack stated that satisfaction with waste collection, street cleansing and recycling services has improved since last year.

Several changes have been implemented to improve waste services, including waste reorganisation to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness, stabilisation of refuse and recycling service, implementation of Keep Britain Tidy Group inspections, procurement of new URS and mechanical sweeping vehicles (with delivery due by December 2025), improved Industrial Relations, implementation of Underground Refuse System (URS) chamber reviews, implementation of a workforce learning and development plan, ensuring drivers maintain their Certificate of Professional Competence, and implemented Large Goods Vehicles apprenticeships.

According to the report pack, in the first quarter of 2025, 97.5% of independent Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) street cleansing inspections were graded at or above the 92% acceptable standard.

![Before and after image of street cleaning in Tower Hamlets.](https://opencouncil.network/rails/activestorage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBeFptRmc9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--cc864439ed9ca485a6ad0de2d2f4897a79e61137/page4Picture_17.jpeg Before and after image showing the impact of waste services in Tower Hamlets.

The council have been working to improve waste services in the borough. As part of this, time banded collections commenced in August 2024 and operate twice daily, seven days a week, clearing all major high streets and town centres of waste. The waste collected includes commercial waste on account with Tower Hamlets, and unregulated waste from businesses.

Ashraf Ali, Director for Public Realm, spoke of the improvements that have been made, and acknowledged the contribution of councillors:

With all your input into this, we've actually come far, far, much better position to where we are now. I'm not saying that we're quite there yet, but still room for improvements. But with your contribution and input, we have actually made a stride to be here.

Simon Baxter, Corporate Director Communities, said that the council had come a long way in stabilising the service. He also noted that there were a lot of cultural issues that we inherited from Veolia that contributed to instability prior to the new management team. He also acknowledged the role of external organisations and funding in achieving these improvements:

I think the help of ONS has helped shape the services over the last two years. I think the mayor has given a lot of money to support us. I've got a strong management team in now. There was a lot of instability in the service and I've always said that I want to do that from the beginning was to stabilize the service. And I think that has shone through probably in the annual residence survey but also in our performance in non-collections, increasing commercial waste portfolio and this is something we should be proud of as a council.

The report pack also noted that the recycling rate is 19.82%, an increase of 4.12 percentage points compared to April to June 2024-25. The meeting information also mentions the use of single-use recycling sacks to residents living on estates, which has played a large part in the increase of the recycling rate.