Waste Watch considers London-wide education programme

The not-for-profit waste awareness specialists have appointed a new executive director, John Holme. Mr Holme's appointment came as former executive director Barbara Herridge took up a policy role at the North London Waste Authority.

” It would be perfect for London and would have as a significant impact – as it has in the Western Riverside area.“
– John Holme, Waste Watch
Speaking to letsrecycle.com about his new position, Mr Holme said one of his first tasks will be to assess the “threats and opportunities” of the single London Waste Authority, which is being proposed by London Mayor Ken Livingstone (see letsrecycle.com story).

He said the “exemplar” Recycle Western Riverside project could be a huge success if it was taken on by the whole of London, rather than only the four local authorities under the Western Riverside Waste Authority umbrella – Lambeth, Wandsworth, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.

Impact
“I think the experience could be replicated across London,” Mr Holme said. “It would be perfect for London and would have as a significant impact – as it has in the Western Riverside area.”

The Recycle Western Riverside scheme has been running since 2002, in which time it has worked with 100 schools, knocked on 120,000 doors, organised over 50 community events and run several advertising campaigns.

Waste Watch has pointed to the fact that the waste authority had an overall recycling rate of 8% when the scheme started in 2002, which has now grown to over 18%. In a survey of residents conducted in 2002, 41% said that they recycled a lot of their waste, a figure that has now grown to 78%.

Holme
Mr Holme has 30 years of management background across local authorities, the National Health Service and the commercial sector – and was previously chief executive of Stockport-based savings and investment firm Shepherd Friendly Society. The role as executive director of Waste Watch is his first role in the waste sector.

Commenting on his appointment, he said: “Waste Watch has a first rate technical staff and the trustees felt it wasn't important for someone with a waste background to be brought in. I was brought in for my experience in management.”

Although Waste Watch has been something of a pioneering organisation since it was set up by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations in 1987, in recent years the group has faced difficulties in securing funding. This year, it was hit by central government deciding to allocate awareness funding to smaller, localized groups rather than through a central body like Waste Watch (see letsrecycle.com story).

Mr Holme said Wastewatch is to bid for several Defra research projects in the coming months. He declared: “I intend to develop Wastewatch as it has been – as one of the leading environmental charities in the country – and to ensure its financial safety.”