Top DJ Neil Fox lends support to new Recycle for London campaign

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today launched a major new recycling campaign urging people to recycle even more. This will help local authorities to save taxpayers' money and build on the £30 million Londoners saved last year by opting to recycle rather than reaching for the rubbish bin.

It currently costs 25 per cent more to get rid of rubbish in your black bin than to recycle it and it is clear costs are going to increase further as we are hit with a double whammy of landfill sites filling up and landfill taxes coming into force. The Mayor is keen to help Londoners avoid these increases and save money by highlighting that if we doubled our recycling efforts we could save up to £320m by 2015.

With an estimated 80 per cent of the average bin content able to be recycled, the campaign's message is to thank Londoners for their recycling efforts and show if we up our game we could help to free up money that local councils could spend on other, vital local services, especially in times when public finances are stretched.

The new Recycle for London campaign will feature on sites across the capital's transport network and will alert Londoners to the environmental and financial benefit of recycling more, appealing to them to visit the campaign's website to find out how they can do so. Waste collection and recycling is managed by London's 33 borough councils, so to help people easily check their local recycling services a revamped Recycle for London website - www.recycleforlondon.com/city - features a postcode checker to find out exactly what to recycle from home and when local collections are made. All London boroughs collect at least plastic bottles, newspapers and cans from households with many offering a wide range of additional services.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘Recycling our waste material makes sound economic as well as environmental sense. This fantastic new campaign brings home the simple but powerful message that every item recycled rather than binned, collectively saves the city big bucks.'

The Mayor was joined in his recycling appeal by Magic FM Breakfast Show host and keen recycler Neil Fox, who returns his plastic bags each week after his online shop, commented: 'I have to admit that although myself and the Fox Family are trying to lead greener lives, I had wondered just how cost-effective recycling really was. Having seen the facts and figures I am staggered at how much cash we as a city could save by recycling more....and of course the environment benefits would be enormous. Its a win-win.'

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's Environment Director said: 'I try to recycle everything I can from home, including dropping off clothes hangers back to the dry cleaners, but a quick go on Recycle for London's easy postcode search showed me that I can even recycle aerosols. Most of us are unaware just how many different objects can be recycled and this campaign offers a great way to find out how you can do more.'

Councillor Colin Hall (Sutton), Chairman for the Recycle for London Steering Group and London Waste & Recycling Board Member, said: 'Opting to recycle instead of using your black bin makes sound financial sense and helps save the planet too. Disposing of household rubbish is a big cost to councils like mine and by recycling we can save millions of pounds across London every year. The Recycle for London campaign helps to raise awareness that when we're throwing away rubbish, we're actually throwing away money. When council budgets are tight choosing to recycle can have a real impact on our bottom line.'

Creating more recyclable material will also untap the economic value of waste. If London can recycle 60 per cent of its rubbish we could create an estimated 350 new jobs each year until 2025. For example, Closed Loop Recycling in Dagenham recycles plastic bottles using them to produce a high quality plastic that goes to make more bottles and food containers. A plastic milk bottle put out for recycling in the capital, would most likely be sent to Closed Loop to be shredded, cleaned, peletised and then transported just 6 miles to Nampak, a milk bottle manufacturer to be made into new milk bottles destined for London stores.

There are a range of innovative organisations using our recycled materials:

Uptown Oil - this London company collects and then converts used cooking oil to create biodiesel which is used in a range of vehicles included black cabs;

BiogenGreenfinch collects waste fruit and vegetables from street markets in Hackney using it to create cleaner, greener renewable energy;

Urban Remade - two former art students from Central St Martin use reclaimed seat material from London Underground to make a range of clothes including shoes;

Re - fab - a South London based small business using recycled material including old curtains and blankets to create beautiful and unique household objects

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

All costs include collection, gate fee and (landfill) taxes. London's landfill bill, which last year was £240m, will increase by £15m per year due to rising landfill taxes alone. By redoubling efforts to recycle from the current rate of 32 per cent, Londoners could save the city up to £320m by 2015.

Recycling rates in London have increased 2.5% per year for the last 5 years. They have gone up from 8% in 2000/01 to 32% in 2009/10.

It is imperative that the city boosts recycling rates as the capital's two landfill sites will be full by 2018 and 2021.

We estimate that 80 per cent of the contents of the average household bin can be recycled. About 60 per cent of the average household bin can be recycled easily in London using council services, and up to 80 per cent if you do things like recycle your mobile phone, take clothes to a charity shop or compost your garden waste.

For more information about the Recycle for London campaign and to find out how and what you can recycle in your area log on to www.recycleforlondon.com/city and type in your postcode to find out about your local services.

Recycle for London is a communications programme delivered in partnership by the Greater London Authority and WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and funded by the London Waste & Recycling Board.

Flats and multi-occupancy buildings account for around 50 per cent of all housing in London but recycling collected from these properties is currently standing at around 10 per cent, significantly lower than houses. The London Waste and Recycling Board is spending £5m on improving recycling facilities in flats. These include reusable bags and recycling bins new food waste recycling facilities, incentive schemes and underground recycling storage. All of the schemes being funded are due to be fully operational by March 2012.

PRESS INFORMATION is available from Nicola Dillon on 020 7983 4066 or Hilary Merrett on 020 7983 4755 (not for publication) or email environmentdesk@london.gov.uk

GENERAL PUBLIC/NON-MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Call the Public Liaison Unit at the Greater London Authority on 020 7983 4100

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