"While the capital’s boroughs have worked hard to drive up recycling in London, it is abundantly clear to me that a new, co-ordinated and collaborative approach is needed to tackle this pressing issue"
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
London: The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced he will chair the London Waste and Recycling Board in order to work with London's borough councils to boost recycling in the capital and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Co-operation with London Councils is the key to solving the capital's waste problems according to the Mayor, who has reached an agreement with London Councils – the body representing the capital's 33 local authorities – on the composition of the new London Waste and Recycling Board (LWRB) and the appointment of its Chair and seven members.
The LWRB was announced by the Government last year with a proposed budget of £60 million to help increase recycling and ensure London's waste is managed sustainably. The former Mayor - Ken Livingstone - declined to Chair the Board.
However the Board does not yet exist as it is set to be established via an Order which is expected to be laid before Parliament soon. The vision for the London Waste and Recycling Board is that it will engender improvements in the environmental sustainability of waste management across London.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
In the spirit of co-operation, the Mayor and London Councils will each appoint members to the Board, with an added cash bonus, as Mr Johnson plans to divert up to £24 million of London Development Agency funds, being used to improve waste management in the capital, to complement the work of the Board.
However London’s recycling rate continues to improve, increasing regionally by 14 percentage points since 2001.
Boris Johnson said:
“While the capital’s boroughs have worked hard to drive up recycling in London, it is abundantly clear to me that a new, co-ordinated and collaborative approach is needed to tackle this pressing issue. This is why I pledged during the election to work in partnership with, rather than against, London's borough councils, in order to massively boost recycling and reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill.
“Londoners want to be greener and recycle more, but they need to be offered more hassle-free ways to do so. Together with London's boroughs, I want to deliver new and innovative solutions to overcome present challenges. As chair of London's new Waste and Recycling Board, I will champion recycling to make London a world leader.”
Chairman of London Councils, Councillor Merrick Cockell said:
“London’s local authorities have consistently argued that the capital needs a co-ordinated effort to build on the boroughs’ work to improve how waste is managed in our city.
“It is only by working together that we can rise to the twin challenges of increasing recycling and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, and we are delighted that Mayor Johnson has accepted this and agreed to work with the boroughs. We look forward to working closely with him to make London an even greener city.”
Further information
For a brief biography of the new London Mayor, Boris Johnson, visit
http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/index.jsp .