Six areas to pilot zero waste schemes

22 October 2008

The first six ‘zero waste places’ have been announced by environment minister, Jane Kennedy, this week.

Ranging from a residential street to an entire region of England, the initiative, part of the Government’s waste strategy, aims to go as far as possible in reducing the environmental impact of waste.

The pilots have been selected to demonstrate innovative and replicable initiatives.

The six areas chosen to implement the plans are the London boroughs of Brent and Lewisham, Shenley Church End in Milton Keynes, King’s Lynn in Norfolk, Peterborough and the West Midlands.

Under the plans, Brent is to develop 20 ‘green zones’ across the borough by September 2009. This will involve establishing ‘green teams’ of residents, and developing a GIS-based map of the borough showing green ‘threads’ growing through the borough to track the progress of the initiative.

Brent council leader, Paul Lorber, said: ‘I’m delighted Brent has been chosen as one of just a handful of zero waste places in the UK. The council is pioneering new ways to be more environmentally-friendly, and it is fantastic to be recognised for our work.’

Shenley Church End will see an area of almost 1,500 homes, two schools and a number of high street businesses aim to cut waste and litter. King’s Lynn plans to achieve zero waste within the historic area of the Tuesday Market, while Lewisham will run an ‘eco street’ initiative, where around 100 properties will be targeted through a range of measures, including specialist advice and support to cut waste.

Peterborough is to run a ‘zero waste city centre’ initiative, which will encompass more than 200 retailers and offices, including the Town Hall and council offices. Meanwhile, the West Midlands will create a ‘zero waste region’, focusing on cutting business waste.

Kennedy said: ‘These six zero waste places will test what can be done to make it easier for people and businesses to change the way they view and deal with waste.’

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