London Conference programme announced

The ‘Fighting Back: Raising Recycling Rates and Delivering Infrastructure' event, organised by letsrecycle.com, will feature leading industry experts dissecting and discussing the opportunities and challenges facing the capital.

Including speakers from the Greater London Authority, the London Waste and Recycling Board and advocacy body London Councils, the event will give councils and companies operating in London a chance to get up-to-date with the latest policy developments and business concerns.

The one-day event, taking place at 76 Portland Place near Oxford Circus, will cover such topics as the need to accelerate the city's low recycling rate, the question of introducing incentive schemes or compulsory recycling and the twin issues of household and business waste management.

Steve Eminton, editor of letsrecycle.com, said: “This is a valuable opportunity for both local authorities and businesses to get under the skin of what is happening in waste and recycling in London. With ambitious targets being proposed for both the municipal and business sectors, this event will give a comprehensive overview of what steps are being taking to make sure London can match these ambitions.”

Discussions

Leading the discussions will be Andrew Richmond, waste policy and programmes manager at the GLA, who will give an in-depth overview of the Mayor's draft municipal waste management strategy and the draft business waste strategy.

Mr Richmond is expected to touch on key points of the municipal waste plan, which will be published in full in March 2011, such as the carbon benefits of collecting specific materials, as well as the potential savings that could be achieved from the city's waste disposal bill.

Addressing a major area of interest in the city, Wayne Hubbard, head of business development at the London Waste and Recycling Board, will discuss the funding opportunities available to councils and businesses in order to develop much needed waste treatment and recycling infrastructure.

And, looking ahead, Michael Ojo, head of environment at London Councils, will outline the future developments and issues facing the 33 local authorities in the city.

Overview

Elsewhere on the agenda, local authority representatives from the London borough of Richmond Upon Thames, Islington council and Brent council will delve into the reasons behind their particular successes and the roll of incentivisation – which will then be thrown open to a panel discussion.

Covering the whole gamut of concerns facing the capital, discussions will also extend to materials such as wood and biomass, the future energy generation needs in the capital and the roll of trade waste.

For more information or to book a place for the event, please call Sabreena Kaur on 020 7633 4520 or email: sabreena.k@environmentmedia.co.uk or visit the conference home page here.

An offer on ‘Early Bird' bookings is available until December 15. The full programme is still being finalised and is subject to change.