“Whilst I welcome the Mayor’s drive towards more recycling, London needs a more radical approach that will actually put us on the road to a totally recycling London. That’s why the Greens are calling for a Zero Waste strategy. Only then will London truly become a world-class sustainable city rather that one suffocating under a mountain of its own rubbish,” declared Darren Johnson, Leader of the Green Party Group in the London Assembly.
Zero Waste has been successfully adopted in other countries and is a strategy that sees waste, including plastics, as a resource. It also recognises what can be made of it through recycling, re-using and re-making, whilst challenging the myth that we can manage waste safely in landfills and incinerators. Bath & North East Somerset have adopted it with enthusiasm and currently achieving an estimated household waste recycling rate of 25% in 2001/02.
“Local councils need help to provide far more multi-material collections. They also need help to provide easily accessible recycling facilities for people living in flats and other kinds of multi-occupancy accommodation. London also needs political commitment to cut down on the making of waste in the first place, including the targeting of manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging they wrap their products in.”
80% of Londoners support the idea of recycling; however, 57% do little or no recycling. The Green Party Group argue that a Zero Waste strategy will provide the political wherewithal to capitalize on Londoners’ goodwill towards recycling.
The Mayor’s initiative will
· give £25 million for London boroughs to help with recycling.
· aims to improve services to make it easier to recycle.
· provide more information for Londoners.
· target more materials e.g. plastic which is not currently recycled.
ENDS