From today Camden’s recycling service will include mixed plastics such as yoghurt pots, margerine tubs, plastic bags and waxed cartons.
This is the first time that these “mixed plastic” items can be recycled in the doorstep collection, meaning recycling is made simpler and Camden residents can recycle more. People in Camden already recycle 28% of their waste, putting Camden in the top 10 in London for overall recycling, and in the top 5 for ‘dry’ (i.e. non-food) recycling.
This is a good step forward, but we need to do a lot more. Comingled recycling - where all recycling items are put in one box and collected from the doorstep - makes it easier for people to recycle, but it isn’t as good for the environment. The energy used in transporting and separating the comingled recycling undermines the environmental benefit, and often the recycled material is contaminated and poor quality so it can’t be used. All those who deal in recycled glass, paper and other materials say that what comes out of comingled recycling is unusable. Recycling comingled glass, for example, can produce more carbon emissions than sending it to landfill - and the recovered glass is such poor quality it is normally used for road building: not the most environmentally-friendly pursuit! Camden Liberal Democrats are looking at ways of making recycling more effective, while keeping it simple and achievable for normal people living and working in the centre of London (a task made harder by a Labour Government’s obsession with targets that encourage poor quality, ineffective and environmentally unfriendly recycling techniques like comingling). In the meantime if you want to make a difference, why not separate your recycling and take it to an on-street recycling area? You can find your nearest one here.
Another area where we need to improve is food waste recycling, or composting. Food waste makes up a significant amount of our household waste, and though it can be more difficult to implement a food waste collection would make a big difference in tackling climate change. While Lib Dems on the Council are working on a food waste collection scheme for the whole of Camden, Cantelowes Liberal Democrats are thrilled that the first on-site composting facility in the borough has recently been launched on the Maiden Lane estate. The
composter, called the Rocket, not only turns food waste into compost that can be used on the estate, but it also provides volunteering and part-time employment opportunities for local residents. In the future we hope it will support food growing on Maiden Lane as well, providing even more benefits for residents and the environment. To find out more about the Rocket composting scheme, visit the Food Loop Maiden Lane site.
Camden Liberal Democrats have put the environment at the heart of everything we do on the Council and in the community - but we know a lot more needs to be done. To keep us moving forward we set up the cross-party Sustainability Task Force, chaired by Camden’s first Eco-Champion Cllr Alexis Rowell. Task Force meetings are open to the public - click here for more information.