The London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) has said that the draft London Environment Strategy can be “strengthened” with a bigger focus on stopping waste from being created in the first place.
In a document published ahead of the board’s meeting tomorrow (5 October), LWARB have highlighted that the Mayor’s, Sadiq Khan, choice of wording on circular economy is “more like a linear economy”.
LWARB is closely linked to the GLA and chaired by the Mayor of London or his representative. Pictured: London City Hall
The board added that the strategy assumes that resources eventually become waste – extracting as much value as possible from resources through their use and reuse before they become waste.
LWARB is closely linked to the Greater London Authority, with the Mayor chairing the board, and it provided technical advice during the drafting of the environment strategy.
Creation of waste
“LWARB would suggest the strategy could be strengthened through a clear drive to avoid the creation of waste,” said LWARB.
The board continued to say that they would support adding more information into the strategy discussing “waste avoidance through introducing the concept of the circular economy and an explanation that waste can be avoided through interventions”, such as design, new technologies, sharing of resources, utilising products as services and the exchange of materials and good between organisations.
LWARB recommend the use of the definition used by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which emphasises that the circular economy is about designing waste out.
“This definition touches upon other key themes within the draft LES [London Environment Strategy] and might be more appropriate as it captures better the holistic nature of the systemic change that a move to a circular economy requires,” said LWARB.
LWARB also recommended that the environment strategy’s chapter on a transition to a low carbon circular economy could be strengthened by including a commitment to embed the policies needed to ensure London exploits the opportunities of the circular economy within the London Economic Development Strategy.
And the LWARB also advocated for the principles of a low carbon circular economy to be included within the London Plan to support the strategy’s intention to invest in the city’s infrastructure to create necessary integrated systems for energy waste and water.
Recycling rates
LWARB also expressed their support for the Mayor’s aim to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2030 and the aim to send no biodegradable or recyclable waste to landfill by 2026.
“We welcome the inclusion of policies and proposals within the draft LES to help drive a reduction in waste and increase recycling rates across London and the proposal to set a minimum level of service for household waste recycling services,” said LWARB.
But LWARB make no mention of Mr Khan’s proposal to put back London’s recycling target of 50% by 2020 for local authorities, by five years to 2025 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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Source: letsrecycle.com General
