On Friday 22nd February, the Mayor of London called on Londoners to reuse their plastic bags and say ‘no’ to accepting new plastic bags. On average, Londoners use over 37 million new plastic bags each week – a weekly habit that adds to an annual total of 2.2 billion new plastic bags in the capital.

At the campaign launch in Oxford Circus last week the Deputy Mayor of London, Nicky Gavron, was joined by media partner thelondonpaper to encourage Londoners to use a reusable bag as well as reusing the plastic bags that they already have, instead of putting them in the bin where they will end up on landfill sites - this is a real waste of resources, causes harmful pollution and contributes to climate change.
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The London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, this week launched a campaign to encourage the drinking of tap water in bars and restaurants, rather than bottled water.

Backed by environment minister Phil Woolas, Friends of the Earth and water company Thames Water, the Mayor said cutting down on bottled water would bring a variety of environmental benefits, including a drop in the number of plastic or glass bottles requiring disposal or recycling.

Over two billion litres of bottled water are sold in the UK every year - 200 times more than 30 years ago - and currently only twenty percent of plastic bottles are recycled.

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In a bid to bust myths and misconceptions around waste facilities the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has launched a new booklet on waste facilities designed specifically for residents.

Launched today ‘Waste Treatment Facilities; Your Guide to Waste Disposal’ has been produced to provide residents with factual information on the different options available for managing and treating recyclable and non-recyclable household waste. Cost, space requirements, health implications and local issues such as noise, smell and pollution are explained throughout the booklet in relation to individual facilities.

Cllr. Brian Coleman, Chairman of the NLWA said,

It is hoped that this booklet will prove to be a useful resource to residents who want to find out more about waste facilities, particularly those wanting to take part in future waste planning consultation exercises in north London.

[Taken from http://www.camden.gov.uk/]

Recycling Advisers will be calling on flats across the London Borough of Bexley over the next few weeks, providing help and general advice about recycling.Similar door knocking strategies in recent years, have helped the borough achieve a recycling rate of over 40%, which is the highest for any London Borough.

When the Council consulted flat dwellers about what would make them recycle more rubbish, “communication and information” was the most common response. As well as advisors knocking on doors to offer advice, residents will receive a ‘Flats recycling guide’.

Cllr Gareth Bacon, Bexley Cabinet Member for the Environment, says: “Despite being the best borough in London for recycling, we need to keep up the good work and get everyone in the borough on board and doing their bit for the community. Continue reading this post…