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News Index |
New plans for London's business waste
Over the next four years, London's commercial and industrial waste will be managed by a £24 million waste and recycling programme, according to an announcement by the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency. The programme will help address climate change by developing an infrastructure to reduce the amount of waste being incinerated or going to landfill.
Industries and commercial enterprises in London produce nearly seven million tonnes of waste each year, almost twice as much as the capital's households. Currently, less than half of commercial and industrial waste is recycled and the rest is primarily landfilled.
The Mayor's Plan sets ambitious targets to recycle or compost 70 per cent of London's business waste by 2020 and to manage 85 per cent of it in London, rather than shipping it out to the Home Counties.
This summer, the Mayor will appoint a panel of waste, energy and financial experts to deliver appropriate recycling facilities for London. In addition to increasing the city's recycling capacity and reducing reliance on landfill, it is hoped the new services and facilities will also boost the local economy, reduce the impact of transporting waste and even use waste to create renewable energy.
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: "There are real opportunities in London to develop technologies that treat waste as a resource, rather than relying on outdated waste disposal methods which contribute to climate change. London's businesses and boroughs are currently choosing to bury and burn the capital's waste - dumping it in the Home Counties - whilst recycling rates lag behind the rest of the UK. This funding package of £24 million from the London Development Agency will accelerate the use of cleaner, greener recycling and treatment methods that are already being effectively used in Europe."
