'J' of A to Z of Waste Disposal

Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed and soil containing Japanese knotweed is classed as 'controlled waste' which means it can only be disposed of at licensed landfill sites. It is an offence to plant or otherwise cause the plant to grow in the wild and it cannot be composted.

It cannot be collected by the Council through its green waste services and must not be delivered to green waste collection point at the Civic Amenity Site / Household Waste Recycling Centre.

If you are a householder and you find Japanese knotweed on your property it should be dealt with on site.

If Japanese Knotweed is regularly pulled up or cut, the plant is weakened and over a number of years will begin to die off.

Another alternative is to apply a herbicide. The effectiveness of the herbicide is dependant on the amount of Japanese knotweed that needs to be treated. If you wish to treat large stands of Japanese knotweed you may wish to consult a contractor or specialist.

A third method is to dig the plant out and place in tied refuse sacks. Once cut the plant must be dried out for one or two weeks and then burnt in a carefully controlled manner. This burning should preferably take place in a brazier.

It is not illegal to have a bonfire, but, this should not cause a nuisance to neighbours – more details can be found at http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/eh_bonfire_guidelines.htm

For developers that are clearing or preparing land, please consult with the Environment Agency for advice http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/conservation/840870/840941/

Junk Mail -
Circulars, leaflets and flyers can be recycled using the household recycling box, however, by writing to the Mailing Preference Service it is possible to stop junk mail being sent through the post.

MPS Office
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS

It is also possible to register online at http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/