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LOCAL
WASTE CAMPAIGN
Friends of the Earth is supporting a
Bill which introduce doorstep recycling for every home
Friends
of the Earth believes recycling should be as easy as putting the rubbish
out and that is why we are supporting Labour MP Joan Ruddock's Private
Member's Bill, which will introduce doorstep recycling for every home.
Show you support for the Bill by attending Friends of the Earth's Waste
Lobby outside the House of Commons on Wednesday 22nd January 2003. Thousands
of people from around the country will be coming to London to call on
their MP to support the Bill. Ask your friends and family to come along
too. If you can't make it in person, write to your MP instead.
Friends of the Earth Waste Campaigner Karine Pellaumail said: "Recycling
would be easier if every household had a doorstep recycling collection
scheme. That's why Friends of the Earth is supporting Joan Ruddock's
Doorstep Recycling Bill which aims to make recycling as simple as putting
out your rubbish."
Read
also Hammersmith and Fulham Friends of the Earth Response to the Local
Draft of Recycling Plan 2002- 2006
Beyond the Bin
From HFFOH web
site
Although recycling of municipal waste in Hammersmith and Fulham has
increased from 7.95% to 8.68% in 2001, this compares badly with regions
in countries such as Switzerland (52%), Austria (49.7%), Germany (48%)
and the Netherlands (46%).On average only 11.0 percent of household
waste is recycled or composted in Britain at present. We landfill about
85% of our waste overall. By 2016 EU law will force Britain to cut the
80% of its waste going to landfill down to 33%. EU rules state that
half the rubbish that went into landfill in 1995 should, by 2009, be
reused, composted or recycled. This target rises to 65% by 2016. Britain
faces prosecution in the European court and fines of millions of pounds
a day if it fails to reach its targets.
Hammersmith and Fulham council have targets to recycle 16% of household
waste by 2003/04 and 24% by 2005/06, but even if all the UK council
targets are achieved the rate of recycling will still be the worst in
Europe. The current government recycling target of 30 per cent by 2010
is not at all ambitious. FOE says it should be at least 50 per cent
by 2010.
Sarah Oppenheimer, Friends of the Earth's waste campaigner, said: "These
latest government recycling figures are shameful. But it need not be
like this. The government must do more to ensure that every household
has a doorstep recycling collection service. Recycling should be as
easy as putting the rubbish out." Hammersmith and Fulham together
with Lambeth, Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea are all served by
Western Riverside Waste Association (WRWA).
WRWA is responsible for the waste disposal whilst the boroughs are responsible
for waste collection. According to WRWA's own survey most people agree
that they would like to recycle more and that the best way to facilitate
this is through unsorted doorstep collection of recyclables. Many people
in the survey also said they were prepared to pay a premium for this.
Currently Hammersmith and Fulham provide a doorstep recycling scheme,
but it is for paper only. They do not provide any recycling of plastics.
The council are not convinced by the practicalities or benefits of recycling
plastics. "The environmental and financial costs of transporting
high volume, low weight loads of post-consumer plastics would outweigh
the benefits of recycling them" with a key concern being the lack
of local plastics reprocessing facilities. As the figures stood in 2001,
Hammersmith and Fulham spent on average £1 on material recovery
and recycling per person per annum. This is pretty average for London
boroughs but does give a clear indication of the low financial priority
given to recycling.
The next door borough of Kensington and Chelsea provides a much better
service with doorstep recycling of many different items including plastics.
The following materials can be collected in one bag: paper of any description,
glass bottles and jars, milk and juice cartons, cans, plastic bottles,
rags and textiles. They recycle plastic bottles in St Albans. So recycling
plastics can't be so impractical, because other councils do it. In contrast
to Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea spent about £4
a head on material recovery and recycling per person per annum in 2001.The
good news is that Hammersmith and Fulham is likely to improve.
David Newton, Hammersmith and Fulham Waste Development Officer said
"the new WRWA contract and developments elsewhere within the waste
industry are likely to result in significant improvements in the range
of materials it will be possible (to recycle) within Hammersmith and
Fulham during the next 2 or 3 years". Hammersmith and Fulham council
have a bid for over £1 million to fund the borough with a multi-material
kerbside scheme. The proposals are for this to work in a similar fashion
to the schemes in Wandsworth. One bag for paper card and textiles, one
bag for glass, cans and plastic bottles and one bag for green waste.
Initially this would be a pilot scheme running for a few months, which
would then be assessed and then potentially scaled up. Currently there
are only plans to recycle plastic bottles so plastic items such as yoghurt
pots would not be included in the scheme.
WRWA signed a new long term contract on the 29th May with Cory Environmental
Limited to manage the waste on the Authority's behalf. WRWA are planning
to improve the civic amenity site at Smugglers way, Wandsworth and to
create a new material recovery facility (MRF). According to WRWA this
will use 'state of the art' technology. Plans are being finalised by
Wandsworth council in the next 2 to 3 weeks. The machinery will sort
paper, card use air jets and beams of light to blow things into the
correct bin. In the long term this may be able to provide local plastic
processing facilities (these facilities will be available for use by
Hammersmith and Fulham council/residence)
Waste Watch, the leading national waste awareness and education charity
will work with the WRWA and the four boroughs to deliver a new educational
waste awareness programme. Work is already underway. Local schools have
been sent leaflets. There will be a "Rethink Rubbish at Schools"
Campaign. (as part of the national awareness initiative) The programme
will include schools-based education activities, community involvement,
regional publicity, PR events, and targeted communications and marketing
support in the four boroughs.Campaign Manager Jim Fielder said: "this
is one of the largest single investments in waste education and awareness
raising that the UK has ever seen. It's a great opportunity for Waste
Watch and the partners involved to test the extent to which we can change
people's attitudes and behaviour to reduce waste and help reach recycling
targets."
WRWA also plans to phase out transporting waste by barge on the Thames
and burying it at a landfill in Thurrock. Unfortunately this decision
is not based just on waste minimisation, reuse and recycling, because
Cory on behalf of WRWA are planning a new Energy from Waste incinerator.
This is planned at Belvedere in East London. This plan undermines the
positive work being undertaken by the councils, Waste Watch and WRWA
in waste awareness and recycling. Building an incinerator demands long-term
waste delivery because it takes 15-25 years for a waste management company
to make a return on their capital investment, the contract between a
council and a waste management company requires the council to provide
an agreed amount of waste for at least 25 years. Incinerators have proved
to be very unpopular with public and this proposed incinerator is no
exception. Cory applied to build an incinerator here five years ago
but planning was refused. For the previous inquiry 5000 letters of objection
were sent (apparently only Sizewell B had more!) and a petition of 27,00
signatures were presented to the inquiry. Bexley and Districts Against
Incinerators Wastes Group are preparing for the current plan.
HFFOH web site