LWARB Announces Efficiencies Programme

14 December 2011

At the last Board meeting of 2011, LWARB yesterday (Tuesday 13 December) announced a £4.6m Efficiencies Programme aimed at London's waste authorities to help to deliver savings in waste management costs across the capital

LWARB, working in consultation with the London Boroughs, has put together an Efficiencies Programme, which identifies the opportunity to work with London's waste authorities to offer a range of support to assist them in delivering significant savings.

The Programme will be split into the following seven workstreams, which will offer waste authorities various time and money saving opportunities: joint procurement of recycling materials contracts and waste equipment, the option to carry out efficiency reviews, the development of service sharing, the creation of various model service specifications, and a range of best practice tools.

Also detailed in the Programme is a £3m Recycling and Reuse Centre (RRC) Fund which, working in partnership with WRAP, will initially focus on supporting boroughs to scope out and implement business waste services at their RRC's.　

This will mean that small businesses operating within those boroughs may be able to use RRCs to recycle their waste for the first time.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "My plans for more efficient waste management show there are many millions of savings ready to be untapped from closer working between boroughs. I am keen for LWARB to further this aim for the benefit of Londoners and boroughs by unleashing cash savings in tough times and finding greener ways to deal with the capital's waste."

James Cleverly, Chair of LWARB, said: "Through the joint procurement of waste equipment in the Flats Recycling Programme LWARB saved in the region of £200,000, significant amounts of money that we expect to replicate through the Efficiencies Programme. At a time when Boroughs are having to tighten their belts, this Programme will not only help to realise savings, but expand waste services and improve ways of working too."

LWARB is working closely with DEFRA, Improvement and Efficiency South East (iESE), Local Partnerships, London Councils and WRAP to deliver the Efficiencies Programme and to ensure activity on this subject matter is co-ordinated and targeted.

LWARB will are planning to launch the programme at an event exclusively for London boroughs and waste authorities in early 2012.　

www.lwarb.gov.uk

Darrel Moore