Author: Wansteadium

Hallelujah! Cardboard recycling comes to Wanstead

It’s nearly a year ago now that Wansteadium – while giving credit for Redbridge’s efforts at door-to-door recycling collection – opined at the lack of cardboard collections, particularly when other boroughs seemed able to offer it.

Well it gives us GREAT PLEASURE to be able to convey the news that from 9 May, Wanstead residents will be able to include cardboard in their blue boxes. Houses which don’t already have a blue box will receive one in the next couple of months.

The council says the cardboard has to fit completely in the box, so might need cutting up to fit, and that milk and juice cartons don’t count as cardboard. But this is generally a very fine development, and might help the borough climb from its mid-ranking placing on the league table of London councils’ recycling performance.

Letter to Wansteadium: Freeholders, do your duty

Following the opening of the new British Heart Foundation shop in Wanstead High Street, Wansteadium reader Guy writes:

Another charity shop, bad bad bad. The high street doesn’t need another. Is anybody actually attempting to sell Wanstead to young relatively affluent professional families (that Wanstead now has many of)? We need a decent clothes shop for the ladies e.g Whistles, and a family restaurant. Both would be good for the area and make an absolute killing. [Hardware shop] Robert Dyas, which was rumoured to be interested in the area would have been fantastic too. Shop freeholders lower your rents! It’s killing everybody new and putting off enterprising people who would like to set up shop!

Wansteadium’s food blogger Suki Orange adds:
 I quite agree about the need for a good family restaurant. The continuing closure of Cook’s (formerly Seasons), apparently for refurbishment, is leaving a gap and I know some people are wondering if it will reopen. Like lots of people, I generally prefer independents to chains, but how often have I craved having a Strada on Wanstead High Street?

On Wansteadium’s Facebook page, Najma adds;
Wanstead has relatively affluent professional families, a decent clothes shop for the ladies and a family restaurant would make an absolute killing yet shop freeholders should lower their rent? It doesn’t quite make sense.