Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Is recycling working?
David Shukman, the BBC's environment correspondent offers an analysis of current recycling strategy round the country and comes up with a largely positive conclusion about its success so far.
Tags for Forum Posts: recycling
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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Interesting update from the well respected David Shukman.
Certainly anaerobic digestion is going to be very important. Ealing Borough are there already. Read more here.
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Permalink Reply by Anthony on
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Sounds great, what are Haringey doing? I guess as they have signed the Nottingham thingy they're ahead of this with their committment to ecological initiatives?
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Haringey is one of 7 consituent bodies that make up the North London Waste Authority...you can read about a lot of current strategy on their website. It's your money they're spending, it's worth knowing how.
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Current situation regards our waste: In north London approximately 1 million tonnes of waste is produced every year, currently only 24 per cent of this is recycled, the rest is either incinerated (40 per cent) at the Edmonton incinerator in Enfield, or goes to landfill sites in the Home Counties (36 per cent).
Everything at NLWA is supposedly governed by the 2004 North London Joint Waste Strategy, updated in 2008.
The waste strategy for North London must be ‘in general conformity’ with the Mayor’s regional waste strategy for the capital and subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Environmental Report.
The waste strategy for North London sets out how the partners will manage the waste that they collect from households and businesses in the area until 2020.
Separately, the North London Waste Plan is about the use of land and it will identify suitable sites for new waste facilities up until 2020.
Plugging anaerobic digestion into their search facility produces just three links. NLWA mentions anaerobic digestion as a 'potential contribution' and regards their current use of incineration says;
The best option for North London will involve achievement of 50% recycling and composting rates by 2020, with treatment of the residual waste not being landfilled provided initially through the existing Energy from Waste incineration facility, and later through processing capacity, giving preference to advanced conversion technologies, especially where the products of waste treatment could be used as fuels, that are the best overall option taking account of net environmental impact, deliverability, reliability and affordability, looking at implied collection services too.
New waste project sent to Defra for approval
(see here)
This latest planned 'project' does include the desire for composting and anaerobic digestion facilities; (anaerobic digestion is the process that turns biodegradable waste into biogas which can be used to create electricity) and a combined heat and power plant that uses that recovered fuel instead of fossil fuels.
Note: The Authority expects to hear early in 2009 whether its outline business case has been approved and funding granted. If approved, the new facilities will be built from 2012 onwards in preparation for when the Authority's existing contract with London Waste runs out in 2014.
Summary: I'd say that whilst having Haringey as a part of the NLWA can be useful for bargaining power with Defra, it does mean we have less flexibility to do things more quickly and in a more effective way and basically means we are less independent. Consequently it looks as though Ealing is way ahead of Haringey regards anaerobic digestion.
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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They would say that wouldn't they.
According to the DT, it's Labour's policy of recycling - Rubbish! :o)
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Permalink Reply by Stuart on
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Interesting, though, that it did say this:
Mr Jones, a former director of the waste firm Biffa and now an adviser to environment ministers and the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, also dismissed kerbside recycling collections in many areas as "stupid" because they mixed together different materials, rendering them useless for recycling.
Which confirms what people were saying in an earlier discussion on this topic - i.e. all that paper, glass, cardboard etc. is not being used to make new recycled paper, glass, cardboard etc.
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Bushy, there are separation plants that are used to separate the 'mixed' collection. Of course glass is recycled, as is cardboard & paper. Do you buy toilet paper made from recycled paper?
With incineration at Edmonton the waste still needs sorting before burning. Mr ex-Biffa man forgets to mention this. He obviously has an agenda .... linked back to business interests.
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Quoting from the DT;
Mr Jones suggested generating electricity by burning waste instead. Alternatively, organic rubbish could be pulverised and stored in vats so that it releases methane (anaerobic digestion), which could be captured and used to generate electricity.
Whilst the debate (and statistics on energy use for various waste options) are needed, we do need to keep in mind that the DT & Daily Mail have been relentless in their criticism of anything that might mean a change in policy is necessary.
Neither papers could be described as 'progressive' in their editorial approach. Their slant on news is so negative I'd go as far as to say that they should take a lot of responsibility for seeming to frighten their readers into staying indoors! Crime is everywhere; the council is out to get them; immigrants are taking over their green & pleasant land.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Exactly Steve, there's nothing Labour about this. Its about European directives that the rest of Europe seem totally able to cope with without resorting to scare stories and cynisicm. DT or the BBC? I know who I feel more comfortable with. And Shukman doesn't suggest that all is rosy in the garden, there are problems but as he says the industry is in its infancy and is still looking for new ways to work.
We of course need to look at controlling the amount of waste produced in the first place. Still too much packaging, too much wasted food, too much use of products like bottled water. Again Europe just gets on with it. Look at the Germans and their controls over packaging, the French simply getting rid of single use carrier bags.
Here if anyone tries anything, everyone starts bellowing about over regulation, the nanny state (such a telling phrase) and PC gorn mad. I'm afraid any thing the rightwing press has to say on environmental issues has to be taken with a v big pinch of salt.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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Recycling has it's place but the more progressive countries in the EU re-use rather than recycle. It is nearly impossible to buy a can of drink or food in Holland opting for durable plastic bottles with deposits on and clear glass jars.
Brittle plastic packaging should be banned.
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