An inspection report from the Audit Commission gave the Labour-led council no stars and highlighted concerns about the high cost and inadequate performance of its waste management.
Inspectors pointed out that Hackney has the worst recycling record in London – according to Best Value data, the East London borough recycles around 1.4% of household waste. About two-thirds of Hackney's waste is currently incinerated at the Edmonton Energy from Waste Plant run by LondonWaste. The remaining third mostly goes to Ashburton Grove Waste Transfer where it is bulked for transportation to landfill.
Deprived
The second most deprived area in the country according to the Indices of Deprivation 2000, Hackney was issued with Directions by the government in October 2001 requiring the council to improve services including waste. As a result, the council attempted to contract out its waste services, but failed to do so even after a re-tendering. The service returned in-house as an emergency measure on 1 August 2002.
The council adopted a recycling strategy to lay out how it will reach its statutory 10% recycling target by 2003-04. The Commission's report said that recycling bring bank sites have been improved and kerbside collections for paper from 22,000 properties have been introduced. However, inspectors said that there was still much to do.
The London Region Inspection Service's managing inspector Claire Bryce-Smith said: “Since October 2001 residents have noticed improvements in refuse collection. The introduction and roll-out of kerbside collections for paper will make recycling more accessible to residents. However, whilst we recognise improvements have been made, there is still a long way to go.”
Investment
Hackney has already taken one step towards improvement this month, with the 1.2 million recycling contract signed with ECT Recycling (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, Audit Commission inspectors have said that key investment in infrastructure would be needed for the council to meet its 2005-06 recycling targets, and that preparations for considering long term waste management options have not yet started.
A spokesperson for Hackney council said it was “unable to comment on the findings of the report.”
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