Haringey’s Labour-run council has agreed it needs to improve its poor record on recycling plastics, following pressure from the Liberal Democrats. The opposition party is pressing Haringey Council to include plastics in its door-to-door recycling service, following the example of Lib Dem-led councils such as Lambeth

In a written answer at Council to a question from the Liberal Democrats, the Council has agreed to review the scheme operating in Lambeth.

Lib Dem environment spokesman, Cllr Bob Hare, comments:

“Haringey still has a limited recycling service at present, and even now is in danger of missing rather modest Government targets. Many residents want recycling of plastics, and other wastes such as cardboard, which the Council will still not collect. It is time they moved such programmes forward.”

Note:

Written question and answer from Council meeting:

What plans he has to introduce home-collection of plastic waste for recycling purposes, for example by providing recycling “sacks” for plastic waste as is now the practice in the London Borough of Lambeth?

The Council has rolled out both kerbside & estates recycling schemes across the Borough within the last 8 months. The purpose of this is to enable the Council to meet its statutory recycling target of 10% for 2003/04. These targets are tonnage based, therefore the Council has focused its energies in collecting heavier materials, such as, paper and glass. Conversely the problem with plastics is that it is a light material that occupies a large volume. Therefore the space that it would occupy on vehicles would not deliver the same tonnage outputs as paper/glass. Also, unless compacted, transportation can be expensive and environmentally unfriendly. However, the Council is open to new ideas and will review the ‘Lambeth Scheme ‘ in more detail together with developing joint schemes with its partner authorities in the North London Waste Authority as part of the continuing process in the development of the Joint Waste Strategy.