Assembly to examine how London will stage ‘greenest Olympics ever’

15 MARCH 2010

In bidding for the 2012 Olympics, London promised to provide ‘the greenest Games ever’ – but how do the organisers plan to make this a reality?

The London Assembly is launching a new investigation into the environmental sustainability of staging [1] the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  Environmental sustainability is one of the key themes of London 2012 in its preparations for delivering the event. 

The Assembly’s Environment Committee is investigating what progress the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the GLA group are making in preparing to deliver environmentally sustainable events and activities during the 2012 Games.

The Games are expected to produce around 8250 tonnes of operational waste – a quantity similar to the amount produced in a London borough in one month - 40 percent is expected to be food or food-contaminated packaging. LOCOG’s aim is to send none of the waste generated on site directly to landfill and to reuse, recycle or compost at least 70 percent.

LOCOG also hopes to reduce the carbon footprint at the staging phase through innovative ways of reusing materials to fit out the venues and improved waste separation systems to facilitate recycling.

Murad Qureshi, AM, Chair of the Environment Committee, said: “London’s Olympic bid promised these would be the greenest Games ever and we need to ensure that work is underway now to ensure we can achieve that pledge.

”London has big plans to reduce carbon emissions and recycle more of its waste and the 2012 Games are an opportunity to showcase how this can be done.”

The investigation will specifically focus on environmental sustainability and on the staging phase of the Games. It builds on previous Assembly investigations[2] into the sustainability of the 2012 Games at the preparation and legacy phases and into recycling ‘on the go’ in the capital.

Notes for editors:

  1. The Olympic project is divided into three phases – preparation, staging and legacy.
  2. The environmental sustainability of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – June 2008: http://www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/the-london-assembly/publications/environment/environmental-sustainability-london-2012

 Towards a lasting legacy – July 2009: http://www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/the-london-assembly/publications/2012-games/towards-lasting-legacy

'On the go' recycling - the case for Mayoral actions- May 2009: http://www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/the-london-assembly/publications/environment/go-recycling-case-mayoral-actions

3.  The terms of reference are:

  • To assess the progress of LOCOG and the GLA group in preparing to deliver environmentally sustainable events and activities during the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012.
  • The project is to focus on environmental sustainability, rather than the wider sustainability issues such as community involvement also included in the LOCOG sustainability work.
  • The project is also to focus on the events of the Olympic and Paralympic Games run in the summer 2012 by LOCOG, rather than on the ODA’s preparations for the Games or on legacy.

4.  The full investigation scoping paper is available at: http://legacy.london.gov.uk/assembly/envmtgs/2010/mar11/item10.rtf

5.  As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

Murad Qureshi is available for interviews.  For more details, please contact Lisa Moore or Julie Wheldon in the Assembly Media Office on 020 7983 4603/4283.  For out of hours media enquiries please call 0207 983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.  Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit, Greater London Authority, on 020 7983 4100.