Let's Talk Rubbish event to help residents get answers on recycling and waste services

Residents are being invited to meet waste and recycling experts, get answers to their questions and learn more about local services as West Northamptonshire Council's Let's Talk Rubbish event arrives at Grosvenor Shopping Centre this weekend.

02 October 2026

Council staff will be based in The Gatherings shop (diagonally opposite Deichmann) on the first floor of Grosvenor Shopping Centre from 10am to 4pm until Sunday 4 October.

The event offers residents the opportunity to find out more about waste  and recycling collections, recycling facilities, waste reduction and reuse, while raising any questions they may have about local services.

As part of the event Veolia, the Council's recycling contractor for the Northampton area,   will also be available from 10am to 2pm on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October so residents can bring along unwanted small electrical items for recycling or reuse.

The electrical recycling and reuse donation service provides a simple way for residents to dispose of unwanted electrical items responsibly while helping others save money through reuse. People can bring along a range of small household electricals, whether they are still working or no longer functional.

Working items will be safety checked and donated to Cynthia Spencer Reuse Shop, while faulty items will be recycled responsibly to recover valuable materials and reduce waste. Household batteries will also be accepted.

Items accepted include kettles, toasters, blenders, hair dryers, lamps, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, portable speakers, garden tools and other small electrical appliances. Larger items such as fridges, freezers, dishwashers, large televisions and e-bikes cannot be accepted.

The electrical recycling initiative has already proven successful. At a previous event at Hunsbury Library, around 200 unwanted electrical items were handed in by residents, with approximately 30 items finding new homes through reuse rather than being thrown away.

Councillor Nigel Stansfield, Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste at West Northamptonshire Council, said: "Let's Talk Rubbish is a great opportunity for residents to speak directly with our waste and recycling team, find out more about the services available to them and get answers to any questions they may have.

"Whether you're looking for advice on what can be recycled, want to learn more about reducing waste, or have unwanted electrical items you'd like to recycle or donate for reuse, we'd be delighted to see you.

"Events like this help us engage with residents, improve understanding of our services and encourage more people to recycle, reuse and reduce waste wherever possible."

Lucy Murphy, Regional Manager at Veolia said: "Reusing and recycling small electricals is an easy way for individuals to support their local circular economy by keeping functional products in use for longer, and ensuring valuable materials can be recovered from broken items.

“We’re excited to run these events in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council, making it easy for people to get involved by bringing these events directly to communities.”