Drowning in Rubbish

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On 20 October the Mayor published draft alterations to policies on planning for waste and minerals set out in his Spatial Development Strategy, more commonly known as the 'London Plan'.

London already struggles to manage the waste it creates, which is set to rise significantly in the future. We currently produce an estimated 17 million tonnes of waste a year, but only have the capacity to manage 10 million tonnes or 60 per cent of the waste we produce. Four million tonnes of the waste we produce mostly comes from our households.

We need to do better at managing our waste. London has the second worst regional recycling rate for household waste in the country, and at 17 per cent we are a third below the 25 per cent national target set for 2005.

The Environment Committee's response welcomes the Mayor’s draft alterations to the London Plan policies on waste and minerals, but states that fundamental questions remain to be answered about the practical measures that will need to be taken to get us to the Mayor’s vision for future waste planning and management in London.