Mayor Boris flags business recycling push

London Mayor Boris Johnson has today outlined plans for a revamp of the capital's recycling strategy designed to bolster recycling capacity, cut carbon emissions and increase recycling rates amongst both households and businesses.

Speaking as he began his new role as chair of the new London Waste and Recycling Board, Johnson announced plans for a new Municipal Waste Management Strategy designed to make recycling easier and place greater emphasis on the extent to which waste management can help cut carbon emissions.

In particular, he signalled his support for waste-to-energy technologies such as anaerobic digestion as opposed to incineration.

"I have consistently said that boosting the capital's recycling rate and sending less waste to landfill is a top priority for my administration and today's meeting was evidence of that commitment," he said, adding that he intended to work closely with London Councils to better promote recycling.

The board also agreed £1.5m in funding to extend the Recycle for London campaign by another year. The publicity campaign, which was launched in 2003, aims to raise public awareness of recycling and provide people with information on how best to recycle.

The precise details of the new strategy are set to be debated more fully at the next meeting of the board, scheduled for 11 December. However, a spokeswoman for the Mayor's Office confirmed that "business waste will be up there as a priority", adding that there would also be a focus on improving recycling infrastructure for the capital.

The new board will have access to a budget of £84m to underpin its strategy, with £60m from central government and £24 from the London Development Agency.