Mayor criticised over “rival” London recycling fund

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has attracted criticism for his plan to set up a panel of experts to allocate funds from a £24 million programme to for waste and recycling infrastructure in the capital.

Opposition politicians in the capital accused Mr Livingstone of setting up the project to “rival” the boroughs' £60 million programme, called the London Waste and Recycling Board (see letsrecycle.com story).

Now, opposition members of the Greater London Assembly have claimed that Mr Livingstone's attempt to set up a “rival” London recycling fund will see double-spending of tax payers' money on projects with the same objectives.

Mike Tuffrey, environment spokesman for the GLA Liberal Democrats, said yesterday: “The Waste and Recycling Board would deliver, if the Mayor was willing to cooperate with London boroughs. The Mayor's refusal to work alongside boroughs will make the challenges of increasing recycling and reducing landfill even harder.”

“Dragon's Den”

The new £24m fund was announced on Friday, and will see a four-year programme offering funding to develop infrastructure to deal with London's commercial and industrial waste.

Funding is being provided via the London Development Agency, for the project that the Mayor identifies in his draft business strategy as a key measure to help reach targets to recycle or compost 70% of commercial and industrial waste by 2020.

Currently, less than half of London's 7 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste is being recycled.

Projects seeking funding could have to face a panel of waste, energy and financial experts with their bid made in a “Dragon's Den style”.

Mr Livingstone said: “London's businesses and boroughs are currently choosing to bury and burn the capital's waste – dumping it in the home counties – whilst recycling rates lag behind the rest of the UK. This funding package of £24 million from the LDA will accelerate the use of cleaner, greener recycling and treatment methods that are already being effectively used in Europe.”

Technologies

Among the “advanced” technologies suggested as being supported through the Mayor's fund, were listed anaerobic digestion, gasification and pyrolysis. The Mayor is particularly keen on producing hydrogen fuel from waste treated in gasification systems.

But Mr Tuffrey said the Mayor just wanted the fund to spread his control within the waste arena after his failed attempt to set up his waste authority.

“The Mayor has left councils to clean up their own mess, by excluding them from his new plans. This is another example of the Mayor insisting that things are done his way or not at all,” he said.