Green transformation for Islington’s Waste and Recycling Centre

The WRC, which until now was Islington Council's most polluting building with its highest gas consumption, is where the borough's refuse and recycling is managed.

The major upgrades to the site include 852 new solar panels on its roof-top, covering an area of over 4,000 square meters, which is enough to cover 10 tennis courts.

Combined with the existing rooftop panels, they are expected to generate more than 500,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy annually - almost tripling capacity and producing enough energy to power around 200 homes.

Together with other cutting-edge new eco-friendly equipment, the works have ended the WRC’s reliance on gas, cutting the council’s gas consumption by more than 1,500,000 kWh per year, which is the equivalent to the annual gas usage of 125 households. 

The upgrades follow major work from Islington Council and the Mayor of London to install enough electric vehicle chargers at the WRC to eventually power the whole of the council’s fleet vehicles. Electricity from the new solar panels will help to power these vehicles.

The WRC is the first council building to be completely transformed with energy saving upgrades to cut reliance on fossil fuels, and underscores Islington Council's commitment to reducing emissions and combating climate the climate emergency. The works received funding through Phase 3a of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is delivered by Salix Finance on behalf of the Government.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality, and Transport, said: “As a council, we’re committed to making the borough a greener, healthier place for everyone.

“To truly tackle the climate emergency, it is going to need the whole borough to play its part. I’m delighted that we can lead the way by making existing buildings as green as possible, using the best technologies available including solar power to create clean energy, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

“The transformation of the Waste and Recycling Centre shows the huge benefits and impact that greener technologies can bring, and how vital it is for local and national government to work together on projects like this.

“By taking advantage of state-of-the-art technology, we are reducing our environmental impact and showing how we can make a difference, leading by example in combatting climate change."