Ben Bradshaw, appointed minister for local environmental quality last week, visited three major waste and recycling facilities in South London. The minister's visits, organised by the Environmental Services Association, showed support for a range of waste treatment options, including recycling, energy-from-waste recovery and landfill.
– Ben Bradshaw
The minister toured Cleanaway's new materials recycling facility in Greenwich, the Onyx SELCHP energy-from-waste plant in Deptford and Viridor's Beddington landfill and recycling site in Croydon.
Mr Bradshaw said: “The UK has tough targets to reduce the amount of waste being sent for disposal at landfill sites along with tighter standards in how we deal with our waste. So it is vital that we have a wide-range of waste facilities with high environmental standards to ensure that the waste we produce is dealt with in the most sustainable way possible.”
Cutting edge
The minister, MP for Exeter, stressed the importance of close working between industry and the public sector to produce a “cutting edge waste management service to rival those on the continent”.
He said: “I want to see industry and the public sector working closely together to produce a range of facilities that serve the current and future needs of the local communities.
“Minimising the waste we produce and dealing with it in a more environmentally friendly way is critical to ensuring a high quality of life now and in the future,” the minister added.
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