SOUTH EAST CRITICISES LONDON'S WASTE PLAN

The Mayor's municipal waste plan is flawed because it omits forecasts for waste exports to landfill sites in other regions and only focuses on municipal (mostly household) waste. This was the message from the Assembly's Regional Planning Committee.

The Assembly has called for clear targets and forecasts on how these exports will change to be incorporated in a revised version of the plan.

Cllr Keith Mitchell, Chairman of the Regional Planning Committee said: "In our own regional waste strategy, we propose that landfilling of municipal waste decreases from 85% to 20% by 2025. We receive over three million tonnes of waste from London every year. We expect it to make similar reductions to its exports to the South East."

The Regional Assembly further criticises the London waste plan because it only addresses municipal waste which comprises less than a quarter of the capital's waste. If all waste streams were considered it would enable synergies between collection and management of the different streams to be properly planned and provided for.

Cllr Mitchell continued: "I applaud many of the policies and themes in the plan especially the proposal to exceed statutory recycling targets. However, if these are not met, London will continue to export waste to other regions and we therefore need a clearer commitment about future exports. We will continue to work closely with London to identify and resolve these issues."

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Alex Butlin, PR Executive - 01483 555221

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
2. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
3. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007