'It's a long way to the bottle bank'

November Paynter, 25, is a postgraduate art student who shares a flat in Brixton.

She says: "If I'm honest we don't recycle anything at all, because we're lazy like most people. I throw out about two black sackfuls every week. It's mainly kitchen rubbish and loads of newspapers.

"We try and collect bottles and glass to take to the bottle bank but we always end up putting them in the bin as well. It's just a long way to go to Tesco's and take it all to the bottle bank, and it's a very difficult journey if you haven't got a car, which I haven't.

"Lambeth council must have some kind of system for recycling but it's not enough for everything you produce in a household - and they don't promote it very well. I've never seen any leaflets or any kind of publicity.

"In Brixton people leave so much on the streets, there's all kinds of rubbish around, including furniture. I think the council need to buckle down. Either they need to make more collections or pick up more furniture.

"If they are to improve the whole system then I would be happy to pay for rubbish collection if it was made easier to recycle.

"That would probably be a standard view for lots of people in London. There are a few differences with people living in individual flats within houses.

"To be honest I don't think they will be able to organise it properly - especially in Lambeth."