And, after Southwark expressed surprise yesterday that the Mayor had seen and ratified its waste plans without raising any concerns, the Mayor's office said his waste officers would now discuss the issue with Southwark council.
 The Mayor is concerned that waste collected and treated in Southwark will then be sent for incineration |
Ken Livingstone attacked the central London borough yesterday for what he said were plans to incinerate municipal waste collected in Southwark (see letsrecycle.com story).
He also criticised Southwark for not considering “new technologies”.
The criticism came even though Southwark has not decided on its full plans yet, and it is to use the new technology mechanical biological treatment (MBT) to treat non-recycleble waste collected from borough households during the forthcoming 20-to-30 year-long PFI waste contract.
Explaining yesterday's comments, a spokesperson for the Mayor said his main concern is specifically that waste treated in Southwark will then be sent for incineration.
The original comments from the Mayor were sparked after he received a letter from Green Party Assembly member Jenny Jones.
Incinerator
The Mayor's spokesperson said: “The issues raised by Jenny Jones have clear implications for London and the Mayor's waste officers will raise this with Southwark council. We are concerned they may sort their waste in Southwark and send it to be burnt in an incinerator.
“The capital landfills broadly the same amount of waste as the rest of England yet it recycles much less and incinerates twice as much. The Mayor is clear that London needs to strike a balance in the way that it manages its waste. The Mayor will continue to support the right treatment of waste in the appropriate place, which will have the least impact on the environment and will take the most value for its residual waste.
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“London cannot achieve its recycling targets if it burns 37% of its rubbish,” the Mayor's spokesperson added.
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