With the August bank holiday looming people are reminded in the week after a public holiday, rubbish and recycling collections normally run one day late. But the borough’s reuse and recycling centres at Thames Road, Crayford and Maidstone Road, Foots Cray, are open throughout the bank holiday weekend from 7.30am to 4pm. Anyone with questions about bank holiday collections or if your rubbish remains uncollected, call the contact centre on 020 8303 7777 option one.

Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Maidstone Road, Sidcup, has announced the winners of this year’s photographic competition to provide environmental photographs for the centre’s 2010 calendar. A selection of this year’s entries are currently on display by the entrance to the houseplants department.The winners were Sarah Brigden (two photographs), John Cook,Andrew Robeson, Steve Smith, Jo Brown, Kay Page, Robert Pope, Malcolm Tabberer, Keith Mitchell, Philip Coombs and Lauran Allam. The calendar will be available to purchase in-store and online in October.

Quick reporting and cleaning is being credited for the drop in the incidence of graffiti in the borough. National performance indicators for 2008/9 show 97 per cent of more than 900 sites inspected throughout the year, were graffiti free. Bexley Council removes graffiti from private property free of charge if it is visible from the public highway or public open space, as well as from public buildings and street furniture. It also offers free removal kits to local businesses and residents’ groups. To report graffiti or to request a free kit, call 020 8303 7777 option one.

Transport for London is to introduce LED lights in 3,500 of its sets of traffic lights at 300 London junctions. LED lights can reduce electricity consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 60 per cent. These lights will save 600 tonnes of emissions a year and save around £200,000 in energy costs.The initiative follows the introduction of LED lighting at all London Buses roadside ticket machines, 3,500 solar powered bus stops and 640 shelters, and is part of the aim to reduce emissions by 60 per cent by 2015.

Tickets have gone on sale for a concert at the Royal Albert Hall which is raising money for wildlife charity Born Free. Sharon Osbourne, Martin Clunes, Gabriella Cilmi and Amanda Holden have already signed up to support the event and performers will be announced soon. The concert will take place on November 14 at 7.30pm. To find out more information, call 020 7589 8212 or visit the website royalalberthall.com

Bed specialists Dreams has recycled 55,000 mattresses over the past year, which if piled on top of one another would create a mattress mountain taller than Everest. Dreams has diverted a total of 640 tonnes of waste material from landfill over the past 12 months, 303 tonnes of which is a direct result of its bed recycling initiative. To find out more, visit dreams.co.uk