Tonight:
5°c
London has one of the highest rates of rubbish dumping in Europe, figures show today.
The capital sends more than half its waste to landfill. About 2.2 tonnes of the 4.2 million collected from pavements goes to rubbish dumps - the highest volume of any city in the EU.
Londoners throw away an average of 520kg of rubbish per year. This is the fifth highest volume of 24 capitals across the EU.
About half of this, 270kg, is sent to landfill. Only 22 per cent is recycled with the rest incinerated, according to a study by Suez Environment, a French waste management group. The Government has applied increasingly high taxes to waste sent to landfills in an effort to boost recycling across the city, but figures still remain high.
Local authorities in London will have to pay £48 per tonne of landfill waste by 2010-11, earning £105million in revenue for the Treasury next year.
"Greener" cities across the EU throw away 20 per cent less waste on average compared with London. Of this only about one per cent is sent to landfill, with the majority recycled or burnt to produce electricity.
Other major cities in Europe also have more frequent bin collections. Parisians get their waste collected every day while in Bucharest, residents get their bins collected twice a day in summer.
Reader views (5)
REDBRIDGE COUNCIL DO NOT EVEN COLLECT CARDBOARD FOR RECYCLING.
- Alan Green, England. The forgotten country., 06/10/2009 09:27
Report abuse
No surprise there,just look at its inhabitants.
- Steve, London, 06/10/2009 08:33
Report abuse
Another statistic that puts London at the wrong end of a list.
- Mr S.Port, London, 06/10/2009 00:26
Report abuse
Small wonder that the South London Waste Partnership - Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton councils - are planning to build an incinerator - whoops - "energy from waste facility". Why bother to meet recycling targets when you can burn and pollute your way out of them?
- Austen, London, 05/10/2009 21:08
Report abuse
Do Westminster council even provide recycling facilities? I've yet to see one anywhere in the West End.
- Bob, Cheam, 05/10/2009 13:41
Report abuse
