Why is a waste plan needed?
Several pressures face the North London boroughs in preparing the North London Waste Plan:
Landfill sites in South East England are filling up
The amount of waste is increasing but the available capacity of landfill sites in South East England is falling fast. The Mayor’s municipal waste strategy Rethinking Rubbish in London and his draft Business Waste Management Strategy commit London to deal with its own waste, rather than exporting it to surrounding areas. North London has no landfill sites of its own.
Biodegradable waste needs to be kept out of landfill sites
European Union legislation requires the UK to separate out biodegradable waste (e.g. green and kitchen waste) from other waste going to landfill. This will reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions from landfill sites which contribute to climate change.
Recycling rates need to increase
The Government and the Mayor of London have set challenging targets for recycling and composting household waste and the financial penalties for local authorities for not reducing the amount of waste going to landfill are very high.
Resources need to be used as efficiently as possible
Changes in public behaviour and business practices are needed to reduce resource use and waste production and increase recycling rates. In addition, waste which can not be reused or recycled can be put to good use through, for example, energy recovery.