Waste
London's waste
Most of London's waste is disposed of in the home counties by landfill. There must be more re-use, recycling, composting, and energy
generation through incineration, and a reduction in landfill. Public health surveillance should be developed to determine the consequences
of existing practice and future proposals.
Each household in London produces over a tonne of waste each year, on average. Over 4.4 million tonnes of household, commercial and industrial
waste are managed by London's local authorities, who spend over £300 million tackling waste each year. Only 9% of this waste is recycled, the rest
is incinerated or sent to landfill.
About 12 million tonnes of solid waste are taken from industrial and domestic premises in London each year. A third of this (by weight) is from
construction and demolition, while there are smaller quantities of more hazardous waste (e.g. chemical and medical).
Waste disposal from the five London waste disposal authorities is by mixed private/public contractors (local authorities may have ownership in
partnership with the private sector). Waste disposal from private settings (especially construction and demolition) is mostly private, except for
disposal of some controlled waste. Several local authorities have signed long-term (e.g. 20 year) contracts through the Waste Disposal Authorities.
There are five embarkation sites for waste to be transported by river to landfill in the lower Thames estuary. But most industrial waste, especially
from construction and demolition, is transported by road. The landfill sites outside London are commercially owned.
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Health aspects
Most of London's waste is disposed as landfill outside London. The health impacts of waste disposal are not clear. There has recently
been a suggestion that people living close to landfill sites are at higher risk for hereditary diseases: possible mechanisms include seepage
of chemicals into local water and effects of gases.
A national epidemiological study arried out by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit, Imperial College London, found no evidence of an
increased risk of cancer I people living near landfill sites. There was no overall increase in the risk of congenital abnormalities in the
babies of people living near landfill sites. There was a small increase for a few specific abnormalities, especially for hospital admissions
for abdominal wall defects, but the risk was higher in the period before the waste sites opened than afterwards, so it is unlikely that the
landfill of waste caused these problems.
Incineration is a cause of concern to many. Modern incinerators produce only low levels of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, particulates,
and nitrogen dioxide. In urban areas, most of the emissions of the latter two are produced by motor vehicles, with the extra contribution from
incinerators having minimal effects on health. Substances such as dioxins may be more toxic, although they are also produced in very small
amounts.
The effects of waste on Londoners were considered in the London Health Commission's Rapid
Health Impact Assessment of the Mayor's Draft Municipal Waste Management Strategy. This report
includes a summary of the potential effects on health of various approaches to waste management.
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Waste management
There is a conceptual framework guiding waste management - a hierarchy of
- reduction,
- re-use,
- recovery, and
- disposal.
Britain is behind other European countries waste management by this hierarchy. Most municipal waste has been disposed of in landfill. In 1995,
the government set targets to raise recovery of municipal waste from 6% to 40% by 2005, including recycled or composted waste rising from 8% to 25%
by 2000. These targets were not achieved.
In 1999, the present government set a target of 45% recovery by 2010, including 25% recycling or composting of household waste by 2005 (DETR 1999:
a way with waste: 25).The European Union's Landfill Directive requires two-thirds of all waste to be recovered, and one-third of household waste recycled.
Scaled down for London, these targets suggested a need for 4-12 new incinerators, 12-25 new recovery facilities and 18-35 new composting facilities.
In support of these major changes, the government proposed changing public and industrial attitudes to waste changing product design for re-use and
re-cycling (including the requirement that manufacturers, for example the car industry, take back used goods) and better markets for recycled materials
(DETR 1999).
Waste Strategy 2000, the government's most recent strategy, set targets to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste by 2005, 30% by 2010,
and 33% by 2015. Despite this and waste reduction, there would still be waste needing disposal. The government strategy was to reduce the use of landfill,
with Landfill Tax as a lever for this; and to promote recovery both of materials for recycling and of energy from waste disposal, for example through
Combined Heat and Power Technology (DEFRA2000).
A waste management plan for London was produced by the London Waste Regulatory Authority in 1995, recommending the hierarchy of waste management and a
target of 20% municipal waste recycled by 2000. However, the transfer of the LWRA to the Environment Agency, followed by the retransfer of some powers for
strategic waste management to the GLA, together stalled action.
The London Planning Advisory Committee report (August 1998) reviewed proposals for waste management and argued against incineration.
In 2001, the Mayor published his draft Municipal Waste Management Strategy. This confirmed the hierarchy; set more ambitious targets for waste
reduction and recycling; and confirmed a presumption against incineration. He proposed the following targets for recycling and composting:
- 25% by 2005
- 50% by 2010
- 60% by 2015
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