The City Together is reviewing its Community Strategy, 2004-2014. We want to hear from you about one of the key areas which we believe will be essential to delivering a World Class City:
How we can help to support a World Class City which protects, promotes and enhances the environment?
Below, we set out some of the key facts and some of the challenges we will face over the coming years, as we see them. We are already working to address some of these issues and challenges, but we want you views on what else should be done.
Some facts
- Climate change will bring more frequent, extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods.
- The City has some of the worst air quality in country, and levels of pollution are likely to be affected by climate change.
- Scarcity of resources.
- The way local authorities tackle waste and recycling is changing:
- Landfill Allowance Tax – increasing by £8 per tonne per annum.
- Government initiatives such as the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme progressively limits the amounts of waste local authorities can landfill.
- Compulsory recycling is being introduced in some areas to tackle increasing disincentives to land fill waste (e.g. Waltham Forest, Harrow, Hackney, Southwark, and soon Hammersmith & Fulham).
The challenges we need to address
- There are many drivers behind the need to tackle climate change and managing waste, including: EU/Government policy, the media and general public consciousness.
- A large proportion of pollution in the City originates beyond the City boundary.
- The level of car use in and around City.
- Local, regional and national policies are having little impact on air pollution in City.
- As we get richer, we tend to produce more waste. The City’s local population is also growing – with both residents and workers – and this will impact on waste levels. Yet, waste disposal and landfill capacity reached.
What we are doing already
- Encouraging sustainable practice through innovative projects, e.g. pollution reducing paint, Considerate Contractors Environment Award, City Climate Pledge, Sustainable City Awards.
- City Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Air Quality Action Plan.
- Encouraging City workers and residents to walk, cycle or use public transport.
- Working in partnership through the London airTEXT consortium and Central London Air Quality Group.
- Providing dual collection barrows for street cleaning and newspaper recycling banks, and recycling most non-organic material excavated from streets.
- Developing residential kitchen waste recycling service.
- Introducing commercial recycling, which is cost effective compared to landfilling waste.
What else can we do?
We want to know what you think!
- Do you agree with the issues and challenges outlined above?
- Are some more important than others?
- Is there anything missing?
- What else can we do to tackle these issues and meet future challenges?
- What is the role of public sector organisations, and what is the role for individuals, businesses and communities in tackling some of these issues?