EIR - Food Waste in the residual waste [Sep 2023]

Your request 

1. Does the town of London have a waste management plan and can you send it to me?
2. Does the town of London have a analysis of the residual waste of it´s composition, where the the figures for organic and food waste and avoidable food waste (original packed food) is shown and can you send it to me?
3. Does the town of London have a waste prevention programme and can you send it to me?

Our response

The Mayor of London published his London Environment Strategy (LES) in June 2018, which includes a dedicated chapter on Waste (Chapter 7). The Mayor’s role is a strategic one; he sets the requirements to which London boroughs and waste authorities must conform, but he does not have direct responsibility for the collection or disposal of waste. As such, it is London's boroughs and waste authorities that are responsible for implementing the Mayor’s strategy, and are required to 'act in general conformity' with it, whereby all 33 London boroughs are expected to provide a minimum level of service for household recycling, including:

• all kerbside properties to receive a separate weekly food waste collection
• all properties (kerbside and communal) to receive a collection of, at a minimum, the six main dry recycling materials, i.e. glass, cans, paper, card, plastic bottles and mixed rigid plastics (tubs, pots and trays)

The LES also includes a number of London-wide recycling targets that all boroughs must collectively contribute to, such as a 65 per cent municipal waste recycling rate by 2030, and the Mayor works closely with boroughs to ensure that their contracts, strategies and Reduction and Recycling Plans (RRPs) go as far as possible to support these targets and his overall aim for London to become a zero waste city.

In London, 12 boroughs both collect and dispose of waste, known as unitary authorities. Then there are four, statutory, sub-regional partnerships, which are responsible for jointly disposing of the waste collected by their members. These joint waste disposal authorities are East London Waste Authority (ELWA), North London Waste Authority (NLWA), Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA) and the West London Waste Authority (WLWA). Four boroughs have formed a voluntary waste partnership, the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP). Each waste disposal authority has respective waste management plans, although these are not held by the Mayor of London.

ReLondon, a statutory partnership of the Mayor of London and the London boroughs, has recently compiled an analysis of available waste composition data for London in collaboration with 22 London Boroughs.

This waste composition analysis involved collating and synthesising waste composition data collected at different times (between 2018 and 2022) and did not involve any new fieldwork (waste composition analysis involves collecting a representative sample of waste, sorting it into material types and weighing each one to produce an estimate of the overall composition of the mixed material stream). From this collated data, two amalgamated datasets were compiled – for kerbside properties, and communal (i.e. flatted) properties.

This analysis shows that 35% of kerbside residual waste and 30% of communal residual waste consists of food waste. More specifically, Edible food waste makes up 25% and Inedible food waste 10% of kerbside residual waste, whereas Edible food waste makes up 16% and Inedible food waste 14% of communal residual waste. This equates to 335,000 tonnes of edible food waste going into the residual waste stream in London each year.

There is proportionally less garden waste available for recycling in London compared to the national average, with garden waste representing 6% of total waste compared to 17% for England (WRAP, 2017). The proportion of garden waste in London kerbside properties (8% including that diverted to separate collections) is four times higher than that for total communal waste (2%).

A ReLondon report presenting this research is due to be published in autumn 2023. This will help the Mayor of London, local authorities and strategic bodies identify areas for particular focus for future interventions, such as supporting initiatives to migrate food waste out of the residual waste stream at kerbside and communal properties.

As detailed in response 1. above, the Mayor’s role is strategic, with London’s local authorities and waste disposal authorities responsible for the reduction, collection and disposal of waste. The Mayor requires all 33 London boroughs to produce a Reduction and Recycling Plan, which must include metrics and actions focused on waste prevention and reduction.

The Mayor of London is committed to supporting the capital’s transition to a circular economy, as outlined in Chapter 10 of the LES. The Mayor works with ReLondon and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to help SMEs implement pioneering circular food system solutions, including Food Connect which has redistributed 269 tonnes of food and saved 519 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The Mayor has also installed 138 drinking fountains and launched the Refill London campaign, providing over 4,500 refill stations, to help reduce single-use plastic and create a culture of reuse.

The Mayor’s 2021 London Plan introduced policies that require developments to submit circular economy statements aimed at reducing construction waste and associated emissions, bringing circular principles into the design, construction and operation of new developments.

Through the Mayor’s Green New Deal fund, and ReLondon’s business support, 54 businesses were able to access £590,000 of grants and expert advice, safeguarding and creating 630 green jobs, and piloting innovative new  circular economy business models and products, and launched an online platform showcasing more than 100 circular economy solutions. His Better Futures Programme provides innovative (cleantech) businesses, including circular businesses, access to expertise to help them develop their business for growth investment.