This week, the Mayor of London is hosting a Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) workshop at City Hall on waste and recycling. Yet, his own targets for household recycling proposed in his draft Municipal Waste Strategy fall short of those recommended by a Parliamentary Select Committee. Whereas the Select Committee proposed a target of 60% of municipal waste to be recycled by 2020, the Mayor is proposing a target of only 50% by the same date.
Green Party Assembly Member, Jenny Jones, commented:
"The Mayor should be setting ambitious targets that at the very least reflect current thinking. London is the worst region in the UK for recycling – I hope the Mayor takes this opportunity to learn about ambition from other cities that are ahead of London".
Notes to editors
1. The Mayor’s draft Municipal Waste Management Strategy, Jan 2010
http://legacy.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/waste/docs/draft-mun-waste-strategy-jan2010.pdf The targets for recycling/composting of at least 45% by 2015, 50% by 2020, and 60% by 2031 of household waste.
2. House of Commons, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Waste Strategy for England 2007 – third report of session 2009-10 Volume 1, Jan 2010 http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/environment__food_and_rural_affairs/efrawastestrategy.cfm This select committee is recommending that DEFRA should raise its recycling targets to 50% by 2015 and 60% by 2020 of household waste.
3. Regional recycling statistics available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/environment/wastats/download/mwb200910Q1.xls