The report: ‘Bag it or bin it? Managing London’s domestic food waste’, offers an insight into how household food waste is managed across the 33 boroughs in London.
The study found that the majority of London boroughs are on board with separate collections, with 23 councils offering a separate food waste collection service.
However, only 16 London boroughs offer separate collections for flats, meaning that half of all households in the capital are currently without such a scheme.
The Environment Committee is urging all local authorities to implement separate food waste collections for their residents regardless of property type in order to improve London’s 34% overall recycling rate.
It goes on to add that new organic waste treatment facilities are required as London’s population continues to grow, with green and food waste arisings in the capital expected to increase by around one million tonnes by 2020 according to Imperial College London.
The committee claims that at present, more than 50% of food waste collected in London is treated outside of the capital, with only TEG’s Dagenham facility providing dedicated organic waste treatment for the city.
Mayor
The report lobbies Mayor of London Boris Johnson to help secure Government resources for separate collections and to do more to support schemes like the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and Recycle for London.
It concludes he must also ensure that the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) can continue its programmes to support boroughs in the long term.
The committee meanwhile reiterated its desire to see landfill tax powers devolved to London. The Assembly argues that the proceeds raised by the tax are not returned to London boroughs, and separate tax-making powers would allow councils to invest more in food waste recycling.
Chair of the Environment Committee, Stephen Knight AM, said: “At 34%, the capital has one of the lowest household recycling rates in England and rates for inner London are even lower, at just 16%. When we take a closer look at how London’s boroughs are performing we are seeing a concerning lack of consistency, with 10 boroughs still not collecting any household food waste at all.
“We realise that cost is a major factor when local authorities’ make recycling choices, but separate food waste collection schemes need not be more expensive. Effective food waste collection will reduce the amount of waste generated in the first place, potentially making the service cost-neutral.
Status
He added: “If London is to maintain its status as the second most sustainable city in the world, we need to be informed about what is available to us, so we can play our part and stop wasting food.”
The report follows the launch of new recycling body Resource London at the London Conference in Holborn last week, which will be delivered in partnership with LWARB and WRAP to support the capital’s waste authorities (see letsrecycle.com story).
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