Plastic plague – London needs to set tough targets

A plague of plastic infects the capital’s parks and rivers.

Despite a greater awareness of the perils of plastic waste, Londoners are still uncertain about what and how to recycle.

The London Assembly Environment Committee is calling on the Mayor to sign up to the Plastics Pact, an initiative that sets tough recycling targets for industry and the public sector.

The Committee’s investigations show that “Londoners are ready for change”. But despite evidence of this growing goodwill, the capital still had some of the lowest recycling rates in the country.

“Manufacturers, retailers and local recycling services all bear some responsibility for failing to enable Londoners to recycle more plastic,” says the Committee’s letter to the Mayor.

Drawing on findings from the ‘Wasting London’s Future’ report, the letter suggests that more consistent recycling provision and clearer guidance would encourage better habits and give people more confidence to make the right recycling choices.

Leonie Cooper AM, Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee said:

“A lot of good work is under way to tackle plastic waste. But recycling rates in the capital are still embarrassingly low. This is partly because recycling remains a needlessly confusing subject for many people. Too often there are conflicting instructions across borough boundaries while poor communication between industry and local authorities adds an unnecessary layer of confusion.

“The Mayor has already backed the One Less Bottle campaign with the creation of new public water fountains. We are now asking that he takes another step in his support for waste reduction by signing up to the Plastics Pact.

“Breaking down the barriers to better plastic recycling is a matter of life and death and Londoners need a proper push to deliver the change they so clearly want to make.”