As we all know, the Christmas holidays are a time when many friends and families get together, and as a result produce more waste.

With that in mind, it is a perfect time for us to start thinking about the future of Haringey’s waste service.

Our waste service contract is due come to an end in 2025. That covers not just waste collection, but also leaf-sweeping, gritting, and garden waste.

As we saw in the recent cold snap, services like road gritting are absolutely essential. 

So, I want to know what you think is working and what we could improve.

This matters to all of us, so we want to hear from every corner of the borough including from young people, faith groups, business and community groups.

To that end, we have prepared a series of co-production activities which will take place across the borough in January 2023. You can find details of these on our website, and I hope that as many of you as possible will attend and have your say.

In addition, there are pages online where residentsbusinesses and community groups can let us know what you think about our current waste contract. These are online spaces where you can express your views about some different ways that we could run the service, based on the models operating in other boroughs.

Some of those models are very different from ours, and some could work really well here in Haringey. I’m curious to know what you think.

Ham & High: Cllr Seema ChandwaniCllr Seema Chandwani (Image: Archant)

The engagement will run until January 22 and I hope that you will be able to find five minutes over the next month to let us know your views, or to join us for a coproduction session.

This is an opportunity for you to design a major part of our services, in line with the recently published Haringey Deal, which commits to doing things with you, and not to you. We are determined to give you, our residents, real power to shape our policies.

I’m excited to see what your vision for Haringey’s waste service is, so I can get to work and deliver it.

Cllr Seema Chandwani is Haringey's cabinet member for tackling inequality and resident services.