What future we should commit to

The good news - we stopped landfilling

We used to send our waste to landfill. Sites used included a former clay pit and gravel sites in Bletchley (Buckinghamshire) and Ockendon (Essex). In a landfill waste is dumped and covered with plastic liners. Foods and other organics slowly rot and decompose and generate methane emissions for decades. Some of the methane is captured for use an energy source, but most of it goes into the atmosphere and causes climate change. All materials are lost. It is also an ecological disaster for life at and around the landfill site.

The bad news - we burn our waste

Since 1970 North London has its own waste incinerator in Edmonton, an area North of Tottenham, in the borough of Enfield. Today the incinerator burns 70% of our waste including plastics. Incinerators are like power stations. They produce energy, have a chimney, produce air pollution, and are some of the biggest CO2 emitters. Nearly all the materials are lost except for the leftover ash after the burning of waste. The ash contains metals and inert materials and also concentrated toxic PFAS or ‘'forever chemicals’'.

The future we need - we recycle and reuse

Between 2000 and 2012 North London was seeing positive change. Recycling rates in North London steadily went up as recycling, food and garden waste collections were introduced. From almost zero to 30%. However, in the ten years since little has changed, and in 2021 we still recycle only 30% of our wastes. Everything else is incinerated. We need to break through this addiction of burning our waste that is holding recycling back. To commit to a future with 100% recycling and as much reuse as possible. For the people, the economy and the environment.

A decade of austerity

Shifting to recycling requires investments. However, for a long time there was little money available. The national government used to provide the majority of funding for councils in North London. That funding has been cut by 60% between 2010 and 2019 in the wake of the financial crisis. A shortfall that was made up for by increasing council tax and by reducing overall council spending. Things are now looking up again. Budgets are increasing and more money is slowly available. Between 2019/20 and 2020/21 the joint spending power of the seven North London council’s grew by around 100 million to 1.76 billion pounds.

Food waste culture

The biggest share of what is burnt in Edmonton is food waste. The key reason is that only about 25% of people actively collect their food waste, whilst most still put it in the rubbish. On top of this many don’t even have the option to collect their food waste. In Barnet, one of North London’s seven boroughs, no one receives a food waste collection. People who live above shops don’t receive a food waste service, and not all flats and estates do. We need a change in food waste culture. Everyone should have access to food waste recycling. Preventing and recycling food waste should be the norm not the exception.

Ending critical efforts to increase recycling

The North London’s councils in 2008 had made plans to achieve 50% recycling by 2020 and to prevent up to 80,000 tonnes of waste per year (the North London Joint Waste Strategy 2009-2020). The first key activity in the plans was to build a facility to recover at least 30% of items put out as rubbish that could be recycled, but this effort was abandoned in 2013. The second was a hoped for ten-fold increase in food waste collections. Yet also here efforts in most councils in North London came to a standstill during the 2010s despite a promising start. No alternative plan was put forward to reignite efforts by the North London councils political leaders.

Collaborations driven by councils

Many solutions for re-use and recycling are almost in front of our eyes. Whether it is a re-use shopping mall, shifting to compostable nappies, or ending the incineration of plastics. These are all happening, just not yet where we live. The challenge is that we need to venture beyond the borders of the North London boroughs to learn about the best and latest approaches and technologies to see and learn about positive change. And these solutions are often not ‘'shovel-ready’' but hard work. Work that requires deeper collaborations between councils and industry, or between councils and legislators. To change legislation and shape the right investments that do pay off over time.

2. Invest in sorting food waste and plastics out of our rubbish for recycling in North London

The latest technologies allow for sorting, purification and recycling of many items in black bag rubbish. An integrated mixed waste sorting and plastics recycling plant can recover and recycle the majority of plastics. It would also make sure we recycle instead of incinerate all our food waste. This can result in a reduction of up to 50% of North London's rubbish that goes to incineration. Reducing CO2 emissions and air pollution and bringing in income to reduce council tax bills.

The company Anaergia already does this commercially for food waste in California (see video here). The extracted food waste is cleaned from plastics and converted into biogas and fertilisers (see video here). Anaergia is building a similar facility at Deeside on the Welsh-English border. North London could have a similar plant.

Both in the UK and many other countries also plastics are taken out of rubbish before incineration. In the Levenseat facility in Scotland mixed Plastic Bottles, Pots, Tubs & Trays, as well as metals, drink cartons, glass and metals are sorted out of rubbish and sold to recyclers. The most advanced such plant in the world in Norway can even recover 80% of all plastics, including films and flexible plastics, out of rubbish, prior to incineration, and turn it into recycled plastic granules.

3.Swiftly enhance our council's Reduction and Recycling Plans

The UK has set a target of 65% of all wastes to be recycled by 2035, across household, commercial and industrial wastes, and the Greater London Authority requires all London Councils to achieve this by 2030. The seven North London councils' ambition should be to reach these targets.

As of February 2022, however, the ambition of the seven councils is far lower than the UK or London level ambitions. In their official Reduction and recycling plans the recycling targets by 2025 are: 1) Barnet 38%; 2) Camden 26%; 3) Enfield 44%; 4) Hackney 28%; 5) Haringey 33%; 6) Islington 36%; 7) Waltham Forest 38%. These current targets cover all waste collected by the local authority including household, commercial and business waste.

This does not mean that a lot of work is not already being done by the waste and recycling teams in North London. The teams work very hard to improve people’s waste and recycling services and prevent waste. However, a step up change is still needed for North London to break its addiction to burning waste.

Reuse shopping centers

Around 8% of incinerated rubbish is 'other stuff'. This includes electronic devices, various household items, rubble, wood, plasterboard, scrap metal, engine oil, batteries, and paint. To reuse or recycle these items, they can be dropped off at six out of eight ‘'Reuse and Recycle’' Centre's in North London. Located in Barnet, Camden, Haringey, Islington or Waltham Forest. At the moment only 3% of what is brought to these 6 sites is reused, and the inclusion of ‘'reuse’' in the name of these centres is more greenwash than reality.

What can be developed by each council is to transform such sites into popular to visit reuse shopping centres. The world leading example is the ReTuna upcycling mall in sweden where dozens of shops have access to items brought by residents to sell them for reuse (see video). Combined with a design school to gain skills for upcycling waste. The ReTuna mall is so successful that even IKEA has setup a second hand furniture store there.

One bin for all plastics recycling

Many different types of plastics exist and they are difficult to distinguish. At present in North London all hard packaging plastics, including bottles, pots, tubs and trays, can be collected from recycling from home. These are sorted and baled and sent for plastics recycling at Biffa’s sorting centre or Materials Recovery Facility in Enfield. It was built by GreenStar in 2010 and is now operated by the company Biffa under a contract with North London’s councils until at least 2025.

Yet other plastics cannot be recycled with the technology used at the facility in Enfield. Any flexible soft plastic, as well as hard plastics not used for packaging such as plastic toys or plant pots, or household items, are rejected and incinerated at the moment. Even if you put them in the recycling bag. Whilst the technology now exists to sort all plastics in sorting centres, this is not possible in the now outdated facility in Enfield run by Biffa.

The difference between plastics is very confusing. It is very common for people in England to put all hard plastics and soft plastics in the recycling bin, according to a survey carried out by Censuswide in 2021. Because its difficult to distinguish between plastics and people want to have all their plastics recycled.

What North London needs is a big upgrade of the Biffa’s sorting centre or Materials Recovery Facility in Enfield so that it can sort all types of plastics for recycling with the latest technologies. And to go beyond this by introducing machines to recycle the plastics on-site. North London’s councils can make sure this happens when the contract with Biffa expires in 2025. And by providing households with a separate bin for all their plastics to be collected. To make it far easier for people to recycle their plastics.

The investments can be recovered via the sales of plastics sent for recycling. Packaging plastics now have a direct minimum market value of 200 pounds per tonne, thanks to the UK plastics packaging tax.

Food waste action pledges & coaching

Most food waste in the UK is wasted at home and North London is no different. About 35% of what is incinerated is food waste that is put in black bag rubbish. There are lots of materials developed for campaigns and workshops by WRAP under the Love Food Hate Waste campaign. To promote actions like one food leftovers day a week, freezing more foods before they go off, turning your fridge to a bit cooler temperature, making food-shopping lists, and start portion planning.

A lot of events are organised annually already in North London include engagement on food waste with residents. What is still missing is more active training’s and coaching, either in person or online. Whilst a few online teaching course exist, they are self-guided and not motivational.

When people actively commit to pledge to try specific actions to reduce food waste, and by sharing these with others, it has a much higher chance of changing behaviour. To really change behaviour, save money, and cut down on food waste, a new online and in person educational programme, would boost success. Residents would encourage each other with taking pledges to take action and spread the word.

Plastic free and clever schools

North London’s schools and councils could actively promote programmes to bring more reduce, reuse and recycling into schools. The programmes already exist, it is now a matter to get more schools involved. To sign up to do more on waste prevention, reuse and recycling. Plastic Clever Schools setup by Kids Against Plastic and Common Seas allows schools to introduce teaching programmes about single use plastics for children years 6 to 12. Plastic Free Schools setup by Surfers Against Sewage helps teachers to teach their kids to write to MPs and elected officials. Keep Britain Tidy has developed an Eco-Schools programme for all ages that is already being actively promoted in Hackney in North London.

Universal clothing banks and collections

A lot of people in North London put their clothes either in the rubbish bag at home or in the recycling bag, in the hope that it will get recycled. No less than 5% of rubbish that is incinerated are clothes and textiles. And unfortunately, England has no recycling facilities at all for clothing or textiles, where fabric is recovered and turned into recycled yarn for new clothing. Putting it in the recycling bin at home is thus wishful thinking, it will also end up being burnt in the Edmonton incinerator.

To make sure your clothes can be re-used, the main option is to bring all your clothes to a clothing and textile bank or charity shop. Clothing banks in England are managed by charities like TRAID, Oxfam Novib, Hearth UK and Islamic Relief, together with local councils. The collected clothing from the banks are sorted manually for reuse into different quality grades, and then resold in the UK and abroad.

Clothing banks are far and few between for some councils in North London, however, with around 10 in Barnet, 25 in Camden, 10 in Enfield, Haringey has only 5, Hackney has about 60, Islington 35, and Waltham Forest leads with 70 banks available. There are simply not enough banks for the donations of clothes that people no longer wear them. North London could do with at least 300 more clothing banks, especially across Barnet, Camden, Enfield and Haringey, to make it possible to donate for reuse the 25,000 tonnes of clothing annually that are currently burnt.

Beyond banks collections at home can also be advanced. Only two out of seven councils in North London, Camden and Waltham Forest, provide a collection option for clothing, and Haringey is trialling such a service. If collections were expanded to the other five councils, and combined with putting in place hundreds more clothing banks, people would universally have the option for their clothing to be checked for re-use.

Community composting schemes

All councils in North London subsidise home composting bins for people’s food waste, that can be bought via getcomposting.com. To turn food and garden waste into a nutrient-rich compost for your garden.

Most people in North London do not have a garden, however, and this is where community composting schemes can come in. These are membership based group composting sites that can be setup at parks, estates with allotments, and community gardens across North London. Such schemes are run by volunteers, where members can bring their food and garden waste and if they want take part in joint composting activities. It is a great setup to connect with neighbours and people in the neighbourhood and to help provide good quality compost for the local park or garden.

At present North London does not have a non-profit organisation in partnership with the seven councils that supports communities to setup and administer community composting schemes. The missing link that can strengthen many existing initiatives in North London, such as bulk market’s composting initiative in Hackney, Freightliners City Farm in Islington, the BEST run community garden in Barnet, or Wolves Lane Centre in Haringey.

Compostable nappies & collection points

One family with a baby using disposable nappies easily generates 10 kilo’s of nappy waste per week. No less than 7% of waste burnt in North London are nappies. Whilst re-usable nappies are a good solution and anyone can receive a voucher to try them, they are not a solution for everyone.

Disposable nappies collection points can easily be setup. They are already collected from nurseries and some care homes, and parents could be allowed to bring their disposable nappies there. But England does not have recycling facilities for nappies. The key is to shift to fully compostable nappies which are already available and proven to be compostable. What is needed is a change in legislation to allow for composting nappies (which should include a requirement for nappies to be plastic free).

Construction reuse yards

When a building is demolished in North London the materials from skips are sent to Construction & Demolition Waste sorting centres. Centres like those run by Powerday in Enfield or run by O’Donovan in Brent. Here the materials are screened and separated and processed. Wood is shredded into biomass chips for incineration. Bricks, stones and concrete are ground up into aggregates, used mostly as low-grade recycling for road construction. Metals are sent to recyclers. And everything else is used as fuel for incineration. See this video for more detail on the operations.

Whilst these Construction & Demolition Waste sorting centres prevent materials from going to landfill, they don’t allow for re-using high-quality materials from old to new buildings. To make re-use the new standard, construction reuse yards can be setup as exemplified in the Netherlands. These function as the go-between where materials from deconstructed buildings are collected and repaired where needed, for use in new buildings at close proximity. Such yards can also optimise logistics and include pre-fabrication of building components. Reducing both new material needs and transport movements.

London councils can support circular construction yards by requiring newly build constructions under their control to utilise a minimum share of materials from old buildings for circular construction.

Digital reuse and reduction revolution

The world of digital tools has supercharged in recent years. Yet most people do not know about the possibilities, or need a gentle push to try out new options, to help them in their reduction and reuse journey. To give just a few examples:

• CozZo and Kitche are apps to help cut food waste by helping you scan receipts and tracking what you still have in stock in your fridge

• Reuser is a digital reusable container service for cafes, restaurants, markets, canteens and events. Active in Hackney and Waltham Forest and expanding to all of North London. With Reuser you can borrow a reusable container and bring it back later via the APP.

• LoveJunk is a Waste Removal & Junk Reuse market where it is possible to pay for bulk waste removal with a very high chance of reuse or recycling.

• Refill is an application to find refill stations, places where you can take your own lunchboxes and get discounts when bringing your own coffee cup.

• Vinted and Depop are two very popular websites and apps where you can sell used clothes from your own wardrobe to others.

• BackMarket is a refurbished electronics marketplace for items providing a 1 year or longer warranty.

• Olio is a big name redirecting food to need, and Too Good to Go, is an APP where people pay a smalll amount to buy food left at the end of the day from retailers.

Every year more and more such digital options are available for reuse and prevention. The key is to spread the word and promote.

1. Every year 50 million pounds in North London is spent on burning our waste… Costs are growing, in a few years 70 million pounds will be spent on burning our waste…

   Financial value based on Appendix C of the NLWA Budget and Levy 2020/21 report. Calculated by adding the combined main waste Disposal Contract + Revenue Funding Capital Programme for 2021/22 and for 2023/24.

2. Costs are growing as the seven North London councils are investing £750 million pounds in a new incinerator

   NLWA, North London Heat and Power Project Energy Recovery Procurement. 16 December 2021.

3. Close to 5% of our council tax.

   UK MHCLG. Core spending power: final local government finance settlement 2021 to 2022. 4 February 2021

4. Every year this amounts to around 500,000 tonnes of waste. The equivalent of 42,000 double-decker buses in weight that is incinerated at high temperatures.

   NLWA. Annual Report 2020/21. 2022

5. Its emissions are around 10% of all CO2 emissions happening in North London.

   Based on a comparison between 1) the total CO2 emissions released into the air from the Edmonton incinerator based on tonnes incinerated in 2020/21, and 2) the GHG emissions values in the GLA. London Greenhouse Gas and Emissions Inventory 2018. 2021.

   The value of CO2 emissions released into the air currently is around 500,000 tonnes based on around 500,000 of waste that is incinerated. The capacity of the incinerator currently under construction is 700,000 tonnes and will by 2027 release an estimated 700,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This value has been confirmed by the North London Waste Authority that is building the facility ‘'compared to the quantity of CO2 expected to be captured from the ERF (approximately 700,000 tonnes CO2 per annum).’’

   The 10% value includes the emissions released from the incineration of organics (biogenic waste), which need to be reported as information items but do not need to included in national emission inventories. If these were excluded the emissions would amount to around 5% of all CO2 emissions happening in North London, primarily due to the burning of plastics.

6. Despite this ending incineration is not included in any of North London’s Climate Action Plans.

   The waste collected by councils and their incineration is excluded in local climate plans, and the Edmonton incinerator emissions are not accounted for. See for more detail the Climate Action Plans of: 1) Camden, 2) Enfield 3) Hackney, 4) Haringey, 5) Islington. Waltham Forest has declared a climate emergency but has not yet published a climate action plan. One of the seven North London council’s, Barnet, has not declared a climate emergency or prepared a climate action plan.