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Islington residents have railed against the council’s new “ugly” food-waste recycling bins.
The large black bins, introduced by Islington council for use by people living in flats, and with the objective of making food recycling accessible for all residents, have annoyed some locals who do not feel included in the initiative.
Chris Russell from Archway, who noticed the food waste bins along his high street, said that bins “look bloody ugly”.
“They’re an eyesore and completely stupid. They’re making the high street look awful; like an assault course with disregard for wheelchair users and pushchairs.”
After posting on Nextdoor about the bins which he said were “littering” the streets of Islington, Mr Russell turned detective and investigated the council’s decision to implement them.
“The street bins are a compliance shortcut. DEFRA’s Simpler Recycling policy gave councils until 31 March to provide food waste collection.
“So, councils dumped bins on high streets instead, ticking the box for the tiny minority living above shops,” Chris told IslingtonNow.
He added: “People above shops lived without them before and can continue to do so. They’re not essential and simply tick a box to comply with policy changes than meaningful impact.”
Another resident, Sunnie De Pass, complained about the size of the bins causing accessibility issues for pedestrians. She said that the council had “added another bulky structure to the street”.
“They could have been streamlined it, but in narrow parts on Hornsey Road I’ve seen people dodging around the sides squeezing by.”
Ms De Pass went on to describe the bins as “ugly”, and the Labour council as “tired”, saying:
“I think they have done their course. I don’t think the imagination is there. They’re not thinking in terms of sleek design for the neighbourhood.
“Cylinder type objects are not appealing to the human eye, and people will not appreciate them, especially on their own streets.”
Islington council promoted the food waste recycling bins this week as part of London’s Food Waste Action Week (9-13 March), reposting council leader Una O’Halloran’s comments on Instagram from July 2025, which said: “We need your help to make Islington cleaner, greener, and healthier.
“Whether it’s using your food waste caddy, rinsing out containers before recycling, or helping a neighbour understand what goes where. Do your bit, recycle it.”
Martha is a MA Newspaper Journalism student with a desire to craft well-reported, insightful and original stories on cultural, environmental and local issues.