
From brand new iPads, phones and wide-screen TVs to Lego sets and untouched children's bikes, these photos show some of the remarkable items thrown into skips in the post-Christmas clear-out.

At the Western Riverside Waste Authority in south London, miscellaneous electrical goods and metal objects pile high in a skip, including pristine televisions, an unscratched tablet, a laser printer-scanner, vacuums and a drill set, still in its case with all the parts and even the instruction manual.

Behind this skip sits another, filled with dozens of empty boxes for products such as Lego sets, as well as fitness equipment, a blender, a coffee machine and cardboard wine bottle carriers.

Dumped: Unwanted electrical goods including widescreen TVs sit in a skip at the Western Riverside Waste Authority in south London

Untouched: Many visitors pull up at the recycling centre for just seconds, hopping out of their cars only to toss bags stuffed to the brim over the side of the skips. Above, one father dropped off several children's bikes

Post-Christmas clear-out: Another skip is filled with dozens of empty boxes advertising products such as Lego sets, as well as fitness equipment, a blender, a coffee machine and cardboard wine bottle carriers

Astonishing: MailOnline was given exclusive access to the Western Riverside Waste Authority, two days after it opened from the Christmas break, to investigate the extent of waste generated by the festive season

They are also piles of bags bulging with wrapping paper, eagerly torn apart on December 25.

And the waste keeps on coming - with many visitors pulling up for just seconds, hopping out of their cars only to toss bags stuffed to the brim over the side of the skips, not even pausing to look down.

In one instance, a man was spotted climbing out of his estate car, opening his boot and whipping out three colourful children's bikes, before placing them by the side of his car at the recycling plant.

He then continued to unload tennis rackets, games and a used paint tray from the vehicle.

They were all now surplus to requirements.

MailOnline was given exclusive access to the Western Riverside Waste Authority, two days after it opened from the Christmas break, to investigate the extent of waste generated by the festive season.

The site - which is one of the UK's largest recycling plants - handles the waste of one million people in the four central London boroughs. It processes around 5,000 tonnes of rubbish every week.

That's the equivalent of 10 Boeing 747 jumbo jets or 40 blue whales and would roughly fill two Olympic sized swimming pools.

Shocking: The site - which is one of the UK's largest recycling plants - handles the waste of one million people in the four central London boroughs. Above, reporter Helen Croydon poses with an unwanted TV and iPad

Piled up: Computers and other electrical products are heaped in a skip at Western Riverside Waste Authority

Hard at work: A worker is pictured next to a skip filled with cardbord boxes and now-empty crates of beer

Busy: A father gets rid of bikes at the recycling centre, while a worker lifts up an empty television box

But over the yuletide period, as house guests depart and families return their homes to normal, this amount dramatically increases.

BRITAIN'S POST-CHRISTMAS WASTE Each Christmas, 83 square kilometers of wrapping paper ends up in UK rubbish bins, enough to cover Guernsey.* The country produces more than 100 million tonnes of waste every year. In less than two hours our waste would fill the Albert Hall in London.* Each person in the UK throws away their own body weight in rubbish every seven weeks.* England currently recycles 44 per cent of waste. In 2001, this was just 12.5 per cent. EU targets state we must recycle 50 per cent of waste by 2020. Wales already on target with recycle rates at 54 per cent of waste. Source: CB Environmental Group Advertisement

Cory Environmental, which runs the plant on behalf of the local authorities told Mail Online that in previous years the volume of paper and green waste for January is roughly double that of November and December.

Yet much of what comes into the site along the River Thames in Wandsworth is perfectly reusable.

During our visit, we discovered as-good-as-new items tossed into skips, presumably to make way for newer shinier versions given as Christmas presents.

In the space of one hour, at least five bikes arrived and more TVs than we could count.

One skip, designated for electrical goods, went from almost empty to one-quarter full.

And the items looked astonishingly pristine.

There was an ipad without a scratch on it, while one female visitor threw in two matching lamps and a brand new hairdryer still in its sealed plastic bag.

Some boxes still had wrapping paper on them, as if the recipient hadn't bothered to fully unwrap it.

Despite the busy throw-away season, the site was prepared.

'We bottom out all of the skips before Christmas so we can handle the extra waste and visitors,' explained Cory Environmental's station manager Eric Harding.

'We see the same every year. People get something new for Christmas and they don't know what to do with the old so they bring it here. Christmas trees are the biggest problem because of the weight. They are hard to condense down so they cost a lot to ship to our incineration unit.'

The state-of-the art facility is the collective waste site for the central London boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth, Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Its high tech facilities include laser technology which helps detect metals from plastics and papers.

New: One female visitor threw in two matching lamps and a brand new hairdryer still in its sealed plastic bag

Still sealed: Some boxes still had wrapping paper on them, as if the recipient hadn't bothered to fully unwrap it

Wrapped up: 'We bottom out all of the skips before Christmas so we can handle the extra waste and visitors,' explained Cory Environmental's station manager Eric Harding. Above, Christmas boxes in wrapping paper

Thrown away: The state-of-the art facility is the collective waste site for the central London boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth, Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham. Above, an unwanted iPad

Not used: Veronica Mythen, supervisor of the furniture workshop, is pictured with unwanted Christmas toys

Anything unrecyclable gets shipped along the River Thames to an incinerator where it is burned to generate electricity.

The process from this plant alone produces enough electricity to power 100,000 homes per year.

The residual substance is called bottom ash and is used in construction. The bottom ash from this plant was used in an M25 widening project.

Although the items tossed into skips at the Western Riverside Waste Authority are designated for recycling and not landfill, recycling still uses energy and is costly and many items didn't need to be in the skips in the first place.

Instead they could be sold or given away, a process referred to as free-cycling.

As well as waste skips, many recycle centres have a bay for reusable goods. The one MailOnline visited is operated by a scheme called RE:Work, run by the charity Groundwork.

Leaving the festivities behind: Christmas trees are the most costly item to process because of their weight

In bits: 'Christmas trees are the biggest problem because of the weight. They are hard to condense down so they cost a lot to ship to our incineration unit,' said Mr Harding. Above, a skip filled with trees at the centre

Investigating: Although the items tossed into skips at the centre are designated for recycling and not landfill, recycling still uses energy and is costly and many items didn't need to be in the skips in the first place

Plastic bags and bottles: Instead, the items could be sold or given away, a process referred to as free-cycling

The centre's high tech facilities include laser technology which helps detect metals from plastics and papers

HELPING THE RECYCLING EFFORT Different boroughs have different recycling technologies.

Your local authority website will tell you what can and can’t be recycled

Some charities, such as TRAID or BHF offer a free collection service

For bikes, look at thebikeproject.co.uk

Try freecycle sites like snaffleup.co.uk, recycle.co.uk or recyclenow.com Advertisement

Residents can leave things like bikes or furniture in a designated area and then they get hand-sorted by staff. Some is sent to charity shops and some is even sold on the RE:Work's online shop.

Lambeth councillor Jennifer Brathwaite, who is also a Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability and is involved in raising awareness for local recycle schemes, said most Britons are 'generous' and would 'prefer to see things given away than thrown away'.

Ms Brathwaite, who accompanied us on our visit, added: 'The problem isn't that we don't have the technology or the services available but it is awareness and teaching.

'I used to think recycling was a new middle-class thing but then I looked back to when I grew up and actually we were all recycling and didn't think about it.

'We'd wash out the milk bottles and mend things instead of throwing away.

'We need to change behaviour back to this. Local authorities have a responsibility to recycle, but the public also has a responsibility to find out what can be recycled and how.'

Reusable rubbish: Lambeth councillor Jennifer Brathwaite, also a Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, said most Britons are 'generous' and would 'prefer to see things given away than thrown away'

Centre: Ms Brathwaite, who accompanied us on our visit, added: 'The problem isn't that we don't have the technology or the services available but it is awareness and teaching'. Above, rubbish is seen stacked up

Available for resuse: As well as waste skips, many recycle centres have a bay (above) for reusable goods. The one MailOnline visited is operated by a scheme called RE:Work, run by the charity Groundwork

Hand-sorted: Residents can leave things like bikes or furniture in a designated area and then they get hand-sorted by staff. Some is sent to charity shops and some is even sold on the RE:Work's online shop