0403 0505Top section06 to be06 updated23 with the signed XxxxxxCity MusicalXxxxxx Alcohol Xxxxxx WF in xxxxxxTrees heroesxxxxxx off masthelp headxxxxxx of thefocus newspaper YourYour Council council keeping keeping residents residents informed informed Issue 223Winter 2020,18 March issue 2019 230 www.walthamforest.gov.ukwww.walthamforest.gov.uk @wfcouncil @wfcouncil Starting Monday 2 March, we’ll be collecting more items for recycling than EVER before! thi lo ng d C ol bat eh te s r u i From Monday 2 March we will collect your e o s H unwanted small electrical items, clothing and ctrica household batteries. Please don’t put these le l e it ll e items in with your other recycling - put them a m s in a plastic bag and leave it on top of your m S bins on your collection day. These changes are part of Waltham Forest Council’s Last year, the Council declared a Climate Emergency plan to address the global Climate Emergency on a and committed to take reasonable measures to reduce local level. These changes will not apply to blocks the borough’s impact on climate change. of flats with communal waste facilities at this time. By increasing the proportion of materials we collect However, from March 2020, food waste from blocks for recycling, Waltham Forest can take a significant of flats will be collected weekly, replacing the current step towards improving its impact on the environment. fortnightly food waste collection. Want more information? Turn to the inside back page In Waltham Forest, over We collect recycling every week from your green bin 85% of waste produced Paper, card, cans, glass and plastic • Empty and rinse all containers before putting them into the bin can now be recycled. • Remove lids from bottles and jars and place in the recycling Currently, residents only (remember lids can be recycled) • Remove film lids on plastic pots, tubs and trays (these types of recycle about 32% of lids cannot be recycled) their waste, meaning over • Leave labels on We collect food and garden waste every two weeks from 50% of waste that could your household brown bin be recycled is put in the Fruit, vegetables, grass cuttings and twigs • Line your kitchen caddy with a compostable liner or newspaper wrong bin. and put your food waste in it. When it’s full, you can put these straight into your brown bin • Remember to not let your caddy get too full before emptying it Every year £300,000 of taxpayer money • If you would rather use your own indoor container that’s fine – is spent disposing of contaminated materials do whatever works for you that could have been recycled. We need to do better; recycling saves energy, costs less and From March 2020, food waste from blocks of flats with communal brown bins will be collected on a frees up space in your rubbish bin. Help us to weekly basis. recycle more by following these guidelines! This will replace the current fortnightly food waste collection. If your block of flats does not currently have a communal brown bin, please email [email protected] to request one. Want more information? Turn to the inside back page 03 05 06 23 City Musical Alcohol WF in Trees heroes help focus Your council keeping residents informed Winter 2020, issue 230 www.walthamforest.gov.uk @wfcouncil £3.3million for Waltham Forest libraries While other local authorities also go to Leytonstone and are cutting back on libraries, Walthamstow Library Pluses 2020 sees an investment to register marriages, civil Forest Uprising: The illuminating grand finale See Page 8 in excess of £3.3million by partnerships, births and deaths. Waltham Forest Council to All of these community hubs create library facilities fit for host regular events, including the 21st century. This includes free children’s play and over over £400,000 from the 60s digital drop-in sessions to Greater London Authority. help residents improve their Improvements are underway to confidence online. Whether it’s refurbish and extend the existing yoga or crafting, residents can Lea Bridge Library building, as pop along to enjoy lots of local well as moving Wood Street to a free activities. brand new, state of-the-art venue Our libraries are not just a few yards up the road at the somewhere you can borrow a Marlowe Road development. book (although you can – lots of Improvements at Walthamstow them, if you sign up for your free Library Plus are already underway, library card. See details of how to including a substantial increase do so below.) in size as it takes over the former They also offer free internet Post Office next door. access and Wi-Fi, as well as a When completed, Lea Bridge, full programme of activities for Wood Street and Walthamstow residents of all ages. Plus will feature on-site cafes, Cllr Paul Douglas, Cabinet modern areas to work, get online Member for Culture, said, “I’m or read, free events, educational delighted that Waltham Forest classes and space to hire. Lea Council is investing so much in Bridge will also have a new our libraries. It’s a good news landscaped community garden. story at a time when other local Furniture and a striking feature authorities are closing theirs. We wall are being created from local know our residents value these reclaimed timber to minimise its vital community hubs around the Waltham Forest’s London Borough of Culture Year comes to a close carbon footprint. borough and I can’t wait to see The borough already has the work completed.” three other Library Plus sites in The new Wood Street library it will remain open while work More info Chingford, Leytonstone, and is due to open this spring, with continues. Over 80,000 residents use our libraries. To register for a library card or Leyton as well as two additional Lea Bridge re-opening in early It’s an exciting time for all our manage your existing membership, visit bit.ly/WFlibraryFREE Library Locals. All Library Pluses summer. The Walthamstow libraries so why not pop along have extended opening hours, Library Plus improvements are and make the most of this free, For a list of events at your nearest library visit bit.ly/WFLibraryEvents seven days a week. You can ongoing throughout the year but local service today? OPEN Saturday 25th January 2020 10:00am - 1:00pm (last admission 12:30pm) Register at www.sgmc.ac.uk/openday DAY MAXIMISE YOUR SUCCESS 2 News Waltham Forest Citizens Assembly Coming together to address hate We want you, the residents, to residents as possible. help us find the answer. We’re There is space for every voice asking the question below (in bold) in this discussion, not just Assembly or you may have recieved a letter to members. take part. Your response to the question “Waltham Forest is a diverse and vibrant borough, however hate incidents are on the rise across London. How can we work together to stop hate and ensure everyone can feel equally welcome and safe in our Borough?” Creating a Citizens Assembly is above means that together, we one way we can come together, can identify solutions as to how find common experiences and we can improve our society by The Citizens Assembly will work to champion the many voices of Waltham Forest share ideas to stop the hate that working in new ways with a greater damages our society. We need to community focus. We will share hear views and experiences of as them with you on completion of the Waltham Forest is one of the Any act of intolerance is Forest is a place where people many individuals and community assembly. most diverse boroughs in unacceptable. We do not ignore from different backgrounds get on groups as possible to do this. London. Like the rest of the problems and we want to do well together. Everyone deserves The Assembly will convene city and across the UK, we’re something about it. In response, we to be respected, regardless of their a representative sample of More info Want to contribute? Your thoughts seeing both a rise in reports are creating a Citizen’s Assembly. identity, beliefs or characteristics 45 residents from across our and experiences will provide the and hearing increased concern Diversity is our strength and and we’re drawing on that strength community to discuss the issue evidence that drives the Assembly. regarding hate-related incidents we celebrate this – 86 per cent to address at a local level the rise of of hate incidents, drawing upon Take the questionnaire or share your on our doorsteps. of residents agree that Waltham hate incidents across the UK. evidence contributed from as many evidence here: bit.ly/2sG8CDS From the Leader Cllr Clare Coghill We are asking the people of meaning we will finally be able to We know there is still much work of events throughout the 12 months. Waltham Forest to join us in fighting create the state-of-the-art hospital to do but encouraging signs from The year may have ended but intolerance and help make all our and health hub residents deserve. pilot operations in the St James the legacy of 2019 continues, residents feel at home here. Find Of course, we face many Street area saw a 38 per cent drop including work on the restoration out more about this innovative challenges this year. in knife crime offences and offers of the iconic EMD/Granada in Hoe project, above. We are yet to see what effect the real hope for the future. Street to create a cultural and Our mission to create a decent new national Government will have We continue to work with community centre at the heart of roof over all our residents’ heads on Waltham Forest.