Daniel Silverstone, chief executive of the public-private market development organisation, said the Mayor's new powers would help bring in needed new treatment infrastructure.
” There is a growing taste for investing in waste projects below the PFI threshold. “
– Daniel Silverstone, London Remade
But he warned that this must not divert attention from the need to increase demand for recycled products and materials in the capital.
Yesterday's announcement by local government secretary Ruth Kelly saw Ken Livingstone given stronger waste planning powers and the leadership role for a waste and recycling forum for the boroughs – but Mr Livingstone failed to win his single London waste authority (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mr Silverstone told letsrecycle.com last night that the new waste and recycling forum would be worthless if it turned into nothing more than a “talking shop”.
Infrastructure
Now the “verbal warfare” between the boroughs and the Mayor was over, he said action was needed to speed through the 2 billion of waste infrastructure projects necessary for London boroughs to hit their looming targets.
He said minds should particularly focus on short- to medium-term waste diversion goals, not only in setting up treatment plants but also in strengthening the local demand for recovered materials.
He said: “Today’s proposals are good news for the supply side of London’s resource management challenge: new infrastructure, more collaborative working and stronger mayoral planning powers. We also need to concentrate on creating stronger demand for recycled content products, ideally made in London.”
Plastics
London Remade has worked to develop the plastics recycling plant in Dagenham cited yesterday when Mr Livingstone made the bold promise that “every bit of plastic in London will be recycled within a year”.
Mr Silverstone said the plastics plant was now “close to a done deal”, but also highlighted London Remade's achievements in helping attract electronics recycling firm Environcom to develop reprocessing plants in the capital (see letsrecycle.com story).
Investment
Mr Silverstone welcomed the 25 million waste infrastructure fund announced for London yesterday, but said it would be vital for the fund to be used to lever in more private investment.
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He talked of a “growing appetite” for the development of new reprocessing plants in the short term rather than the “geological timescale” of PFI-style projects.
“The real issue is that the public sector funding levers in very substantial private funding. There is a growing taste for investing in waste projects below the PFI threshold.”
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