There's nothing rubbish about London's waste
A study published this month by the London Assembly Environment Committee, entitled "Where There's Muck There's Brass", found that London's rubbish could be used to power up to two million homes and provide heat for 625,000 houses. The committee urged Mayor Boris Johnson to take the lead in the development of technology to produce energy from waste, including anaerobic digestion, gasification and pyrolysis.
The Mayor has ordered the delivery of five exemplar new bio-fuel plants in the capital by 2012. In June this year Boris Johnson launched the Foodwaste to Fuel Alliance comprising developers, food producers, energy companies and other key parties, who will provide infrastructure to extract energy from London's food waste. The Mayor's draft waste strategy for London, addressing many of the issues contained in this report, is due to be published later this year, and will be open to consultation with the Assembly and the general public.
Supporting the Foodwaste to Fuel Alliance, the London Waste & Recycling Board has £31 million earmarked for projects that will create energy. BAA and Sainsbury's were the first companies to join the Alliance.
Converting non-recyclable rubbish into gas and electricity could reduce the amount sent to landfill, save money spent on taxes on dumping waste in the ground, cut London's CO2 emissions by 1.2 million tonnes, and reduce methane emissions. The London Assembly study stated that London produces around 22 million tonnes of waste each year, more than half of which currently ends up in landfill, with only a fifth (22 per cent) being recycled.
This is the latest evidence signposting the capital's fantastic demand and supply opportunity for clean technology firms and with London moving east, London Thames Gateway will be the hub of this activity.
Click here to read the report
