DESPITE the Mayor of London's senior waste officer acknowledging that London's food waste is one of the 'real opportunities' for the mayor's waste strategy, Boris Johnson has avoided setting a target date by which all London households are expected to have separate food waste bins.
According to the mayor's response to a formal question tabled by me, London sends 370,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill each year.
What is the point of the waste strategy if it does not provide a strategic direction?
It recognises that food waste is one of the capital's huge problems and key opportunities, yet the mayor is unwilling to set clear policies that will result in separating food waste at source across the capital so that it can then be converted into energy or compost.
The previous mayor's 2003 waste strategy set a target date by which local authorities were expected to provide dry, recyclable collection, and this has proved to be a real success.
Providing a target date for food collection is merely an extension of this.
The boroughs that have the worst recycling rates now stand to be hit hardest with fines resulting from not being able to divert waste from landfill.
These fines will ultimately be passed on to the council tax payer.
DARREN JOHNSON Green Party London Assembly
