With waste expected to increase by 10% over the festive season, Boris Johnson has called on Londoners to recycle their Christmas rubbish. The Mayor’s call came as he chaired the London Waste and Recycling Board on Thursday.
The Board is looking to increase the recycling of priority material such as plastic and extracting energy from food waste and from waste wood, which could potentially produce two thirds of the capital’s domestic waste.
Speaking on Thursday Mayor Johnson said: “It is very timely that as the London Waste and Recycling Board meets, the Christmas festivities are just around the corner. This is a time when we produce acres of extra waste, from discarded wrapping paper and packaging, to food leftovers and the Christmas tree on Twelfth Night – and we should all be recycling it, instead of chucking it in the bin.”
Also speaking on Thursday, Green Party Assembly Member Darren Johnson has called on the Mayor to oversee a high profile campaign to reduce the amount food and waste that ends up in London bins.
Assembly Member Johnson commented: “Christmas should be a time of goodwill and celebration, not a feast of waste with overflowing dustbins stuffed with unnecessary packaging, food waste and unwanted presents. You can have fun without filling the house with unnecessary tat which will probably end up in the bin.”
”With Londoners facing a credit crunch Christmas, the Mayor should be talking about doing more with less. It is good to recycle, but even better not to waste your money and the earth’s resources on things that really don’t give you, or others, much pleasure.”
