Liberal Democrats: a Zero Waste London

The very idea of rubbish being thrown away should be a thing of the past. A great city like London cannot afford to waste its waste. We must set a long term goal of a ‘closed loop’ approach, whereby use of materials is reduced, re-used where possible and recycled for further use. Working with the boroughs and the London Waste and Recycling Board, we will:

• Set tough targets for reducing the amount of waste produced by individuals and businesses in the capital and for reuse and recycling by boroughs and disposal authorities.
• Introduce food waste collections in every borough as a step towards a comprehensive system of separate wet and dry collections.
• Support moves by manufacturers to minimise packaging and simplifying the mix of plastics entering the waste stream.
• Improve recycling rates from flats - currently only around 10% - and challenge branded goods companies to fund ‘on the go’ recycling collections so people can recycle their waste when out-and-about.
• Introduce a plastic bag levy, as Wales and soon Northern Ireland have done, by agreement if possible, by securing legislation.
• Promote a London-wide on-line swap-shop, modelled on the Freecycle scheme, so Londoners can more easily offer their unwanted goods for reuse, not waste.