London: The Mayor of London and the London Development Agency (LDA) recently announced a £24 million waste and recycling programme to support the development of infrastructure to manage London's commercial and industrial waste over the next four years.
Nearly 7 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste is currently produced in London each year, according to the LDA, which is nearly double the amount that London's households produce.
The organisation says that less than half of the commercial and industrial waste is recycled and the remainder is primarily disposed of to landfill, where it breaks down to produce CO2 and methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
The programme is intended to help combat climate change by reducing the amount of London's waste being buried in landfill and burnt in incinerators, thereby reducing emissions to the atmosphere.
The programme will to contribute to meeting the target in the Mayor's Climate Change Action Plan to cut London's CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2025. The Action Plan expects that using waste to generate energy will contribute to saving as much as 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 each year.
"The Mayor's London Plan sets ambitious targets to recycle or compost 70 per cent of London's commercial and industrial waste, and to manage 85 per cent of it in London by 2020 rather than sending it to landfill in the home counties."
Dragon's Den
The London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, will be appointing a panel of waste, energy and financial experts to help deliver innovative, efficient waste and recycling facilities. These facilities will include production of renewable energy from waste and increased reprocessing capacity. Companies could be invited before the panel to bid for funding in a 'Dragon's Den' style.
The new facilities are intended to reduce reliance on landfill, boost the local economy and reduce the transport impacts of waste.
The Mayor will also work with relevant organisations, including the C40 Climate Leadership Group, the Clinton Climate Initiative, and the London Climate Change Agency to develop sustainable approaches for the business waste sector.
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'There are real opportunities in London to develop technologies that treat waste as a resource, rather than relying on outdated waste disposal methods which contribute to climate change.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.'
Manny Lewis, Chief Executive of the London Development Agency, said:
“London is a thriving city that produces a vast amount of waste, particularly from the commercial and industrial sector. And as London continues to grow, so does its waste. It simply isn't viable to continue to send all that waste to landfill - and we're currently missing out on the possibilities waste has to offer as a resource. This programme shows that addressing climate change and making better use of waste as a resource are at the very heart of the LDA's investment strategy. It demonstrates that managing business waste sustainably is an ongoing priority for this Agency.”
The Mayor's London Plan sets ambitious targets to recycle or compost 70 per cent of London's commercial and industrial waste, and to manage 85 per cent of it in London by 2020 rather than sending it to landfill in the home counties.