Single-minded Ken resumes waste battle

09 February 2007

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has renewed his battle with London Councils over plans to set up a single waste authority in the capital, and called for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to rethink its rejection of the scheme.
However, London Councils – formerly the Association of London Government – has said the mayor’s failure to work with boroughs on setting up a joint waste and recycling forum was delaying £19M in government funding for investment in new technologies.
Environment minister, Ben Bradshaw, has already dismissed moves to amend the Greater London Authority Bill and set up a single waste authority under control of the mayor. The draft legislation currently outlines plans for a London Waste and Recycling Forum with London’s 33 councils having 50% membership.
But now, Livingstone has slated the boroughs for failing to collect and safely dispose of more than 10,000t of hazardous waste, and claimed: ‘There is no doubt London’s waste-management system is lagging behind the rest of Britain and Europe, yet DEFRA is unwilling to make the changes we need.’
Research by Imperial College has shown that although up to 10,500t of hazardous waste is produced by households in the capital every year, only 200t was collected and properly disposed of in 2005.
The mayor claimed that the bulk of hazardous waste was being mixed with normal household waste collections or, in the case of liquids, simply poured down the drain, and said that the boroughs had only two specialist collection vehicles serving London’s 7.4M residents.
‘This situation is happening because London boroughs are either not providing adequate services or not suitably advertising the services they do provide. We now need an assurance from the Government that it will rethink on the single waste authority to ensure London’s hazardous waste is safely handled,’ said Livingstone.
Councillor Daniel Moylan, chairman of London Councils’ transport and environment committee, has called on the mayor to co-operate in setting up a new joint authority. ‘Improving recycling rates depends on everyone doing their bit – from residents to business, boroughs to the mayor,’ he said. ‘We need everyone pulling in the same direction.’
A spokesman also insisted that the mayor’s claims failed to recognise the improvements being made to waste services in the capital, and boroughs’ success in diverting waste from landfill sites.
He also pointed out that London boroughs had successfully used proven technologies and were ‘constantly investing’ in new technologies to safely dispose of hazardous waste, such as the planned specialist treatment facilities at Rainham and Frog Island.

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