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'Scrap postcode lottery of local recycling schemes'
Mark Prigg13 Feb 2009
The different recycling schemes across London are "irrational and confusing" for residents and should be scrapped, it was claimed today.
Each of the capital's 33 councils has a different policy for what can and cannot be recycled and how it is done.
The London Assembly's Green Party today said it was a postcode lottery and called on Boris Johnson to implement a more standard approach for the entire capital.
Solutions to the problem of recycling range from "one bag" schemes that mix glass, paper and other materials, to plastic containers where individual types are collected and processed.
Each council also has different rules on exactly how waste is processed, leading to major variations in how effective it is.
Darren Johnson, Green Party member for the Assembly, said the Mayor should draw up guidance for local authorities that will help to promote best practice waste collection systems that are cost effective, customer friendly and that produce high-quality recycled material.
"London's recycling collections are a confusing mess with different rules in virtually every local authority about what can and can't be recycled and a hotch-potch of different coloured bins, bags and boxes," said Mr Johnson.
"While I accept that a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn't work across the whole of London, we certainly don't need 33 different schemes with 33 different sets of rules.
"It especially causes confusion when almost a fifth of Londoners change address each year."
Mr Johnson said councils should now work together to combat the problem.
He said: "Whilst I welcome the fact that London has significantly increased its recycling rates, the focus should now turn to looking at promoting a reduced number of best practice schemes for different types of households."
London Councils, which represents boroughs, said that drastic differences in the type of housing between boroughs made a "one size fits all" recycling scheme impossible.
Boroughs with a large number of high rise blocks, such as Tower Hamlets, have struggled with collecting waste for recycling effectively due to logistical problems.
Although new schemes such as the vacuum-powered underground tunnel network at a Wembley building could address these concerns, councils say it will take time for them to be widely used.
A spokesman said: "London's boroughs are always striving to make it easier for their residents to recycle.
"The various differences from borough to borough - such as housing stock and population density - mean local authorities always have to tailor the services they offer.
"Despite these challenges, boroughs, working through the London Waste and Recycling Board and with the Mayor of London, will continue to improve the recycling services offered."
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Reader views (8)
I think the best scheme is is in HILlINGDON one recycle bag or as many as you can fill supplied by the council, and a dustbin for rubbish.collected weekly and garden waste fortnightly in a tough bag supplied by the council and they don`t operate a fines scheme if you dont comply .
- Don, london ENGLAND, 20/02/2009 09:05
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The blue bin scheme in Harrow is excellent and works really well. We have cut our waste down from three green bins a week to one and one blue bin. There is very little that can't be put in the blue bin.
The fact that it all may end up in landfill is neither here nor there because in Process Driven Common Senseless Britain it is the process and the fines for failure abide by the process rather than the result that is impotant
- Marc, Harrow, UK, 14/02/2009 11:07
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There is no such thing as local democracy, in fact no one cares a fig about green issues until one day they wake up to find London flooded because of rising sea levels casued by the polar ice caps melting. When i raised the lack of collect of cardboard I did not even get a reply. After all more people vote for big brother than vote in local elections.
- Alan Green, woodford green, 13/02/2009 21:05
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Try getting anything collected on a regular basis in the west country. When there's a bank holiday it takes three weeks to get back to 'normal collection day' once a fortnight it's printed cardboared newspapers and bottles; the next fortnight it's 'green' waste and corrogated cardboard apart from November, December, January and February when 'green' and corrogated are collected only every four weeks! We're allowed to take certain types of plastic to the plastic recycling bins, and general rubbish is collected weekly; no wonder recycling isn't taken seriously. Two miles down the road in the next authority most things including food waste are collected. When we moved from London 10 years ago there was no re-cycling at all, so I suppose things are improving!
- Lynne, Weston-super-Mare, England, 13/02/2009 18:51
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What is wrong with decentralised decision making? It would not be a postcode lottery if the whole country was under centralised control - well actually, it is almost. I don't want to hear about Redbridge Council - only other people who live there should argue it out - that is what local democracy is all about.
- Jay, London, 13/02/2009 18:50
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Redbridge Council do not even collect cardboard let alone waste food. Every week hundreds of car journeys are made to the local tip by residents conscientious enough not to throw cardboard into the dustbin. Which hardly hardly helps the environment . But then they daily add to pollution by encourage us to drive miles to out of town stores, because they constantly increase charges for local parking.
The plain fact no one in authority takes green issues seriously. Its all about tomorrow.
- alan green, woodford green, 13/02/2009 14:15
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We need a national official scheme of letter-box notices refusing free newspapers and advertising, with punishments for persistent offenders. A quarter of my rubbish is paper I do not want or look at, and putting my own notice has no effect.
- Richard, london England, 13/02/2009 13:23
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This is a national problem and needs to be sorted at Central Government level, however I dont rust this current shower to come up with anything sensible. Bring on the election.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, 13/02/2009 10:14
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