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You are here: CIWM  >  Publications  >  Latest News  >  LWARB Announces Additional Funding Towards Improved Recycling

LWARB Announces Additional Funding Towards Improved Recycling

10 March 2011

The London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) announced a grant of £3.7 million towards improved recycling services to 294,000 flats. 18 boroughs stand to benefit from this funding who successfully bid for support to roll out new recycling services as well as make improvements to existing services. This includes new food waste recycling facilities, underground recycling storage systems and a recycling incentive scheme that rewards residents with points which can be exchanged for eco goods or community projects. The board predicts that these new innovative initiatives will help recycle a total volume of 32,000 tonnes of waste and divert it from landfill over the course of four years.

The 18 boroughs who were granted the funds are Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, Brent, Hounslow, Hackney, Richmond, Westminster, Merton, Islington, Lewisham, Wandsworth, Southwark, Ealing, Bromley, Bexley, Enfield, Harrow and Croydon.

The move comes in light of increasing the recycling rate, which currently stands at 10% for flats and multi-occupancy building that account for around 50% of all housing in London. The percentage rate is significantly lower when compared to other houses and properties.

The current funding comes in addition to £1.35 million invested in a first round of funding for flats recycling in June 2010. The first round funded nine projects, across 12 boroughs. And the combined impact of the £5 million programme saw an average recycling increase of 43% per project with both rounds set to deliver improved recycling facilities to over 520,000 households, diverting an estimated 75,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and prevent almost 66,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who is now looking to place improved recycling in flats as a key priority in his Municipal Waste Strategy, said: "This injection of cash from the London Waste Strategy and recycling Board is great news inspiring projects such as Bexley's "Green Points Scheme." I cannot think of any better incentive for people to recycle than being able to invest in their community as a return. I have always been a huge enthusiast for this kind of scheme which revolutionises the way people think about recycling."

Krishna Buddhiraju