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Mayor leads call to 'starve' dustbins
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent16.10.07
Ken Livingstone called on Londoners to boost the city's green credentials by recycling three times more rubbish.
The Mayor revealed that 40 per cent of the waste thrown away by people living in the capital could be recycled instead of ending up on a landfill site as is currently the case.
At the launch of the Recycle for London campaign, he called on households in the capital to improve on their 20 per cent recycling rate.
His call was accompanied by adverts on Tubes and trains urging Londoners to "starve" their bins and instead fill their recycling boxes or bags.
Mr Livingstone said: "The gulf between what Londoners say they are recycling and what is required is still huge.
"If we don't recycle, our rubbish gets tipped into vast landfill sites in the Home Counties which are fast running out or it gets burnt, adding to our contribution to climate change. I am today calling on all Londoners to live up to their claims and wishes and get recycling."
The Mayor is also due to name and shame the worst offending London boroughs for recycling.
Councils such as Tower Hamlets only recycle nine per cent of domestic waste, while Newham recycles just 10 per cent.
Mr Livingstone has warned that unless the capital drastically improves its recycling rate it could face government fines worth billions of pounds.
However, he is facing questions over how much money he gives to the councils for recycling and where he would locate recycling facilities.
A recent survey found that more than 95 per cent of Londoners recycle paper, glass, cans and tins all or most of the time.
Reader views (6)
This is a good idea, and I entirely agree. But only possible if Local Authorities in London do doorstep collections of recyclable material. My LA (Haringey) won't collect any cardboard or plastics - and this is most of what goes into my wheelie bin.
- Christopher Fowler, London, UK
Ken seems to overlook the fact that domestic waste only counts for 9% of all landfill generated in the UK. The rest comes from business, building and quarrying.
But then if he did think first by engaging his brain he wouldn't be able to issue yet another pointless soundbite.
- Marc, Harrow, UK
I agree with Ken, but the quid pro quo for doing more recycling has to be that our recycling and rubbish gets collected every week. None of this fortnightly collection nonsense!
- Mark Harris, Enfield, Middx
It's OK if you have got room somewhere outside to store it all.
- Paul, London
It isn't just the responsibility of homeowners, the amount of times I have to throw away, drink cans and bottles and sandwich wrappers at lunchtime because there is simply no recycling facilities on the streets of London, your lucky to find a normal bin! So before Ken starts harking on about how much more we can do as homeowners, why doesn't he start showing us that it is everyone's responsibility and start placing recycling bins on our streets.
- Kend, East London
Islington still has no doorstep recycling on its estates. Perhaps the Mayor could put pressure on councils for this.
- Teddy, Islington, UK
