Lambeth Council has confirmed that litter bins will be reinstalled on Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road, following a campaign by local Labour councillors and residents. The pledge comes after around a dozen bins were removed from these areas at the end of June, sparking public concern and a petition.
Campaign Launched After Bins Removed
The Lambeth Labour Group initiated a campaign to bring back the bins after residents and local businesses noticed their disappearance. Councillors Patrick O'Donnell, representing Clapham Town ward, and Nadia Burrell, from Stockwell West and Larkhall ward, raised the issue with the council after spotting "near enough" a dozen missing bins.
The removals were part of a planned borough-wide improvement programme that has been running since April 2026, delivered through the council's waste and street cleansing contract with Serco, signed in 2021. A Lambeth Council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "We apologise for the delay in installing the new bins in Clapham. The changes to litter bins form part of a planned borough-wide improvement programme that has been underway since April 2026, delivered through the council's waste and street cleansing contract with Serco signed in 2021. We know how important keeping the borough clean is to our community and we will work with our contractors to ensure there are no delays like this in future."
Councillors Report Poor Communication
Cllr O'Donnell and Cllr Burrell told the LDRS they attempted to contact the council multiple times, but received either brief responses or none at all. Cllr O'Donnell said: "We haven't got a clear steer, and I think that's what upsets me the most because between Nadia and me, I think we've sent about six emails. So some of those are direct to people, such as officers in the council. Some of that is sending questions through members' inquiries. And then we also wrote [last week] to the cabinet member. We haven't heard back yet on a response. We've emailed so many times and either just had a very short response saying we replaced some but not all of them and then with the other five [we sent] they just weren't answered, unfortunately."
In response, the councillors launched a Lambeth Labour campaign and a petition calling for all bins to be reinstated. Cllr Burrell added: "Our hope is that we can keep demonstrating to the council the strength of public opinion that the bins need to return, and ideally we can get them back."
Public Support Grows Online
On August 3, the councillors posted an Instagram video documenting the missing bins, which has since attracted over 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments and reposts. Many of the removed bins were located near train stations, including Clapham Common, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road, and other high-footfall areas.
Cllr Burrell noted: "The footfall is so high throughout the whole day and especially at night as well. We have loads of visitors coming to Clapham and down to Wandsworth Road into Stockwell. Loads of people pass through so it makes no sense to not replace the bins."
According to Cllr O'Donnell, one resident reported there is only one bin between Clapham North Tube station and the library, a walk of around five minutes. He said: "People might think, 'why are you making a fuss about bins? There's so many problems in the world.' But this is one of the most basic things that people expect their councils to do. If you go up some of the street and say, 'what does your council do?', bins is probably going to be the first thing they say. The slight irony is they can't say bins because there aren't any bins."
The council spokesperson thanked local people for their patience and assured that the number of bins will remain consistent, as will the frequency of emptying, though some may be relocated based on local feedback. The reinstatement of bins on these two roads is expected to proceed without further delay, addressing the concerns raised by the community.
