The Mayor of London issued a statement today damning the London borough for its “plans to incinerate their rubbish rather than looking at new technologies”.
– Ken Livingstone
Curiously, Southwark had already stated its intention to build a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plant to process waste left over once recycling has taken place. This would represent a comparatively new technology for waste in the UK.
Although some of the companies bidding for the contract have proposed producing a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from the residues from the MBT plant, the Mayor has actively supported other MBT plants producing RDF in East London. He believes the RDF fuel could be made into a hydrogen fuel for London's buses (see letsrecycle.com story).
The Mayor's comments about Southwark came after Green Party London Assembly Member Jenny Jones wrote to him to suggest that “Southwark Council's impending PFI waste management contract could result in much of Southwark’s waste being incinerated, adding to London’s environmental problems.”
As he attacked Southwark's plans, Mr Livingstone made it clear he still harbours a desire to run a single, London wide waste disposal authority – despite having the proposal rejected by central government in the summer (see letsrecycle.com story).
The Mayor said: “Our current fragmented waste management system in the capital means that authorities continue to take decisions such as these to transport their waste out of London or burn it, which seriously compromises our ability to increase recycling and introduce a 21st Century approach to managing waste.”
Southwark
Responding to the Mayor's words today, the London borough of Southwark said it was “concerned and upset” at Mr Livingstone's statement, particularly since the PFI project had been developed in consultation with the Mayor's advisors.
Phil Davies, head of waste management and transport at Southwark, said: “We were not required to, but we have been in contact with the Mayor's advisors every step of the way developing this PFI project. They have read all our documents and even ratified our plans under the Mayor's strategy – we've received no concerns from them at all.”
Mr Davies confirmed that four waste management companies are still in the running for the 20 to 30-year PFI contract, which has received 34.5m in PFI credits from Defra.
” They have read all our documents and even ratified our plans under the Mayor's strategy – we've received no concerns from them at all. “
– Phil Davies, LB Southwark
Biffa, Cory, Shanks and Veolia have all been told that Southwark wants to build an MBT plant at the site of a former gasworks on the Old Kent Road.
On its website, the council tells residents it “will not be building an incinerator like the South East London Combined Heat and Power Plant”.
Mr Davies revealed that some of the proposals for the PFI contract did include plans to produce a refuse-derived fuel from the MBT plant residues. But, he argued that “there will always be residues coming out of a waste treatment facility”, and that the MBT plant would drive up recycling rates in the borough.
But commenting on the Mayor's accusation that Southwark was to use an incinerator, Mr Davies said: “That's a lie, a complete fabrication. The Mayor hasn't made any effort to seek clarification with us over this.”
A decision by Southwark's executive on the current shortlist of bidders is now expected to take place in December.
WLWA
As he hit out at Southwark, Mr Livingstone also denounced the West London Waste Authority for its intention to send waste to the Lakeside incinerator being built in Colnbrook, Berkshire.
Along with the Belvedere incinerator being built in Bexley for the Western Riverside Waste Authority, he said London would end up incinerating 37% of its municipal waste.
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Mr Livingstone said he'd; written to the WLWA threatening to issue another formal direction to force it to conform to the Mayor's Municipal Waste Management Strategy.
The Mayor added: “London is now the worst at recycling in the country and has the worst record on litter. We need one city-wide body to manage London’s waste sustainably, so we don’t dump it outside the city or burn it. David Miliband, the Secretary of State for the Environment, could resolve these problems by unequivocally backing the creation of a single waste authority under the office of the Mayor of London, which would give us a city-wide body similar to the way we deal with transport.”
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