Cllr John Macklin and the offending car.

While delivering the latest Focus over the weekend in Brookscroft Road, your councillors spotted this burnt out vehicle.

We reported it on Monday and were pleased to see that by 3.30 p.m. it had been removed.

LIB DEMS working for you!

Pictured Lib Dem Councillor Bob Belam with Michael Hayes National Express Environmental Champion at Chingford Station. 

This is the first paper recycling facility to be opened at a transport hub in the borough.National Express and the council are looking at ways of installing these facilities at main line stations across the borough. 

The council is talking to LU with a view to having recycling at all Underground stations by the end of the year. 

If you want something done it is the LIB DEMS who get it done

Around a third of the contents of an average refuse bin is organic waste which could be composted. Composting at home is a great way to prevent this waste going to landfill, where it releases methane, a major greenhouse gas.

Composting at home will give you a free source of nutrient-rich plant food for your garden.

How to purchase a home composting unit

Until 31 March 2008, you can order up to two 330 litre compost bins from the Council for £12 each. This price includes delivery. To order, please call Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000. From 1 April 2008, residents will be able to purchase compost bins that are subsidised by the Council directly from Recycle Now. More information will be available on the new scheme shortly. For further information contact Anita Starling on 020 8496 3000.

Following complaints from residents Cllr Bob Carey and Cllr Bob Belam included this area on their ward walk.

From the photos you can see it is not being cleaned to the standard we expect.

We have asked for this area to be cleared and litter picked.

We have asked for the person who is responsible to be retained.

We look forward to an improvement.

On a regular ward walk Cllr Bob Carey and Cllr Bob Belam were disgusted with the state of the area between Beresford Road and the A406.

We have complained about this area before.

As you can see by the photos there is a variety of dumped material.

We have asked for this area to be cleared and litter picked.

We have also asked for any information identifying those who dumped rubbish be used to take action against those individuals

Local Liberal Democrats have reacted angrily to the news that Labour is failing to live up to its promise to protect playing fields. 

Figures uncovered by the Lib Dems show that playing fields deemed vital to local sport are being lost at a rate of one a week. 

The government have been forced to reveal statistics, in response to a request by the Liberal Democrats, which show that on average 843 planning applications affecting playing fields are accepted each year. 

Of those applications approved, Sport England believe that an average of 57 a year constitute a ‘threat’ to sporting provision for surrounding communities. 

Liberal Democrat councillor for Chapel End, John Macklin, has led local calls for the better protection of grassroots sporting facilities within Waltham Forest, a problem highlighted by the cutting of lottery grants to sporting organisations ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in East London.

 Lib Dems on Waltham Forest Council recently unveiled proposals for the formation of a ‘Sports Academy’, comprising existing venues within the borough, which would offer specialist coaching and training in relevant skills such as physiotherapy.

 Cllr Macklin said: “It’s an absolute travesty that the nation’s playing fields legacy is being sold off under our noses. “The mass selling off of playing fields both in our area and across the UK was supposed to be a nothing but a bad memory of the Conservative government of the 1980’s.  Instead, we have Labour MP’s admitting that they have failed to tackle the problem, as they promised to do in 1997.” 

Cllr Macklin also noted that the figures released by the government did not include smaller playing fields.

 “Labour announced as far back as 2002 that they were reducing the size threshold for statutory consultation on playing fields.  This has proved to be yet another broken promise.  “A real legacy of the Olympic Games in 2012 would be for our budding sportsmen and women in Waltham Forest to still have the green spaces available to be able to practice and participate in sports with their friends. “Labour now has to stop selling off our playing fields and end the empty rhetoric and broken promises regarding its commitment to sporting activity.”

Commenting on today’s [Monday] Environmental Audit Committee report into biofuels, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said:

“It is essential that the EU’s directive on biofuels sets high standards for both carbon saving and sustainability.”

Dealing with waste rubbish is a major issue across the country and particularly in London. Councils in Waltham Forest, Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey and Islington are developing a joint plan to deal with North London’s waste up to the year 2020. This North London Waste Plan, if and when adopted, will form part of each council’s planning policy under their Local Development Framework (the successors to their current Unitary Development Plans). The Plan will identify sites for a wide range of facilities needed in the future to manage the waste produced in North London.  The Plan is in the early stages of preparation and consultations are now beginning seeking the public’s views about the key issues and policy options that have been proposed.  As part of the consultation programme a workshop will be held in each of the boroughs during January and February 2008. The workshops are open for key stakeholders and members of the public to meet representatives of the Councils and the North London Waste Authority.

The workshop to be held in Waltham Forest will take place from 6:30-8:30pm on Monday 28 January 2008 at the EduAction Conference Centre, Queens Road, Walthamstow, E17.

 If you would like to attend, please contact the Waste Plan’s Project Manager, Archie Onslow on 020 7974 5916 or e-mail events@nlwp.net. 

The full issues and options report can be viewed at www.nlwp.net. Printed copies will be available for viewing from Friday 18 January at Sycamore House at the Town Hall complex, at the council’s libraries and at Waltham Forest Direct shops.

Waltham Forest residents recycled waste weighing the same as 179 double decker buses over the Christmas period 

During December last year residents rose to the recycling challenge by increasing the amount of recyclable material they placed in their black boxes by half   

Even better news was the revelation that there was no increase in the amount of non-recyclable waste collected in December 2007 compared with November 2007. This is great news as there is usually a big surge in the amount of rubbish produced over Christmas. 

The figures have come to light just three months after the Council introduced compulsory recycling. 

The Council’s Lib Dem Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Bob Belam, said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to residents who really took recycling seriously over Christmas.  

“Residents have really taken the reuse, reduce and recycle message to heart over Christmas and I hope we will carry on increasing the amount we recycle throughout the whole of next year.”

Over the two-week Christmas holiday period Waltham Forest residents recycled the equivalent of 800,000, two litre plastic bottles this is enough to make 32,000 adult’s fleece jackets.

Local Liberal Democrats have expressed their delight after Councillors backed their plans to put climate change awareness at the heart of the Council’s agenda.

The successful motion calls for a series of initiatives aimed at ‘greening’ Waltham Forest, including a borough-wide campaign to bring about a voluntary ban on free plastic shopping bags.

Your local Lib Dem councillors rejected a Labour amendment to the motion that removed our proposal for a ‘Climate Change Impact Assessment’ to be included in all reports produced for Council.  The ‘Climate Change Impact Assessment’ will make environmental considerations central to the work of the Council.

LOCAL COUNCILLOR Bob Belam FOCUS TEAM MEMBER said:

These simple but effective measures will make the way the Council works cheaper and more environmentally friendly”.

Every household in the UK produces an average of 50kg extra waste over Christmas, and in Waltham Forest we are committed to recycling as much of this as possible.

Collection days
Christmas tree recycling
Cardboard recycling
Wrapping paper recycling
Suspension of bulky waste collections 

Christmas collections of rubbish and recycling

Rubbish, recycling, green waste and trade waste collections will be affected by the Christmas and New Year bank holidays.

Christmas tree recycling

If you choose a real Christmas tree this year, you can recycle it in three ways:         

Take it to a recycling centre:
Gateway Road, E10
Kings Road, E4
South Access Road, E17         

In your green waste collection
Cut it up and put it in your brown garden waste bin, if you have one.          

Request a Christmas Tree Collection
Book online or call 020 8496 3000 by Sunday 6 January to request a free collection. Trees will be collected between Monday 7 January and Friday 18 January.

Cardboard recycling

At Christmas many of us will have much more cardboard than usual. Make sure you recycle yours:         

Take it to a recycling centre:
Gateway Road, E10
Kings Road, E4
South Access Road, E17         

Flatten, fold or cut it to fit in your black recycling box o          Request a Christmas Cardboard Collection
Book online or call 020 8496 3000         

Request your collection by Friday 28 December for a collection by Friday 4 January         

Request your collection by Sunday 6 January for a collection by Friday 11 January

Wrapping paper recycling

Paper gift wrap can be recycled in your black recycling box. Cellophane wrapping cannot be “collected for recycling” and should be put in your wheeled refuse bin.

You can also recycle paper gift wrap at the reuse and recycling centres at Gateway Road in Leyton , Kings Road in Chingford , South Access Road in Walthamstow , and several mini recycling sites .

Suspension of bulky waste collections

Each year, the special collection service for bulky household waste is suspended over Christmas. The last booking date is Friday 14 December, and the last collections will take place in the week beginning Monday 17 December. Bookings will start again on Monday 31 December for collections in the week beginning Monday 7 January. During this period residents can use the reuse and recycling centres at Gateway Road in Leyton , Kings Road in Chingford and South Access Road in Walthamstow 

Leave your mark on the environment by participating in the Council’s Adopt a Tree Scheme and helping make Waltham Forest greener than ever before.

The initiative was launched this week (Wednesday) when the first adopted tree was planted in Selbourne Walk, Walthamstow. The Council hopes it will help make Waltham Forest one of the greenest boroughs in London and contribute towards reducing the effects of climate change.  

Estate agents Ellis & Co (formerly Adam Kennedy) were the first business to sign up to the scheme and have agreed to adopt twelve trees in the first year.

Cllr Bob Belam, Cabinet Member for Environment said, The Adopt a Tree scheme shows this Council is commited to making Waltham Forest a greener and more pleasant place to live and reducing the impact of climate change.

“We are very proud of our parks and open spaces and anyone who wants to take part in this scheme should contact us to find out more details.”

It costs £150 to adopt each tree and each comes with a commemorative plaque which can be dedicated to anyone the adopter chooses. People who have no gardening skill whatsoever need not be discourage from adopting a tree as Council staff will look after it.

Businesses are asked to adopt 12 trees a year while individual residents can adopt as many or as few as they wish.

The adopt a tree scheme supports other work the council is doing to tackle climate change. This includes the production of a climate change strategy and the introduction of green parking charges designed to reduce car emissions in the borough.

To find out more information about how to adopt a tree or a flower bed, contact Corinne Hibberd, Initiatives Manager, on 020 8496 3000 or corinne.hibberd@walthamforest.gov.uk or visit: www.walthamforest.gov.uk/adopt-a-tree-scheme

As consumers, we come across excess packaging as an everyday occurrence. A simple trip to the supermarket results in the accumulation of vast amounts of card, foil and plastic, much of which is disposed of as soon as we get home. The Government’s Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) says that families now spend £470 on packaging each year, one-sixth of their food budget. 

A recent survey by Jo Swinson MP found Easter Eggs taking up as little as 9% of the volume of their total packaging. Some consumers have even taken matters into their own hands by removing packaging and leaving it at the checkout. 

The Government’s regulations on excess packaging are totally ineffective – only four firms have been successfully prosecuted under the current legislation. We need to look at ways to toughen these laws, so that producers take seriously their role in reducing excess packaging.

The commitments companies have made to reduce packaging are on a voluntary basis at present. We need to monitor the progress they make to see that these commitments are met.

We also need to empower consumers, giving them greater choice over how much excess packaging they buy, as well as making sure extra costs for producers are not simply passed on to shoppers.

The issue is gathering momentum in Parliament, with Early Day Motion 814 having attracted 112 MPs signatures, and two separate Private Members Bills addressing excess packaging. We will seek to keep the spotlight on packaging to highlight the ineffectiveness of Government policy.

What you can do about excess packaging?

• Lobby your MP to add their name to EDM 814. You can conctact your MP via www.writetothem.com
• Write direct to DEFRA at Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR
• Contact us with your worst examples of excess packaging: swinsonj@parliament.uk 
• Raise the issue with your local supermarket – ask if they will recycle your packaging for you

Applicability

 The Liberal Democrats today revealed radical proposals to transform Britain into an international leader in tackling climate change, making the country carbon neutral by 2050.

The measures, which will be debated at the party’s conference in Brighton next month, strengthen the Liberal Democrats’ position as the only major political party with specific proposals designed to face the challenge of climate change.

Proposals in the paper ‘Zero Carbon Britain - Taking a Global Lead’ include:

• Major improvements to the rail network and the construction of a high speed rail line, paid for by tolling lorries on motorways
• A commitment to 100 per cent carbon free, non-nuclear electricity by 2050
• The use of green taxes to make the polluter pay, using the revenue to cut income tax
• Introducing ‘green mortgages’ to enable people to make their homes more energy efficient

Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said:

“Britain should not be a bit player in finding that solution; we should be leading the pack.

“Under our proposals, the United Kingdom would set the green standard for others to reach.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said:

“This ambitious objective for zero-carbon Britain would put us in the global lead in tackling climate chaos along with Sweden, Norway and New Zealand.

“Just as crucially, we have set out plans that are the first attempt of any British political party to tackle carbon emissions from every part of the economy: transport, energy, housing, offices and factories. The time for talk has passed; we need action.

“The Labour Government is going backwards with Gordon Brown’s demotion of the Cabinet committee on the environment, cuts in green taxes and rising carbon emissions.

“The Tories have so far only proposed airport expansion and road building that would make the problem worse.

“These plans are the first and only realistic route march for change.”

The extent of the “collapse” of the LATS market is emerging, with two of the UK’s largest waste disposal authorities revealing a “substantial surplus” of landfill allowances available.

The details have emerged since councils revealed their “disappointment” over low Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) prices last week (see letsrecycle.com story).

North London’s new in-vessel composting plant in Edmonton has helped build its LATS surplus

Authorities are now seeking to off-load the allowances, which permit the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste, at prices as low as £4.80 per tonne in the hope of attracting some kind of value.This represents a drop from the £17-20 per tonne prices seen in the first two years of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme since it started in 2005/06 - and even those prices were described as “low” at the time compared to the potential £150 per tonne fines for authorities failing to keep within their allowance limits.

One offer for allowances has been posted on Defra’s LATS register for the first Landfill Directive target year of 2009/10, and that is at just £50 per tonne.

One reason suggested for the collapse of the market has been the downturn in the growth in waste arisings along with significantly improved levels of recycling and composting.

Local authority officers are not facing pressure from the situation at present, because it is widely expected that the crunch time will not come until after 2010, since the 2013 Landfill Directive to slash landfill rates in half compared to 1995 levels is seen as the key challenge for councils.

But there are warnings that when a shortage of landfill allowances hits, there could be a sudden “scramble” for surplus allowances.

Surplus

LATS is described by Defra as “one of the government’s key measures to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill”, and sets disposal authorities a steadily decreasing limits each year on the paper and organic waste they can send to landfill. Authorities easily meeting these targets can trade spare allowances to those unable to meet their allowance levels of landfilling in a given year.

A report from the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority issued this month suggests it alone has now built up a 340,000 tonnes surplus of allowances to send biodegradable waste to landfill, for the financial year 2007/08.

Another large waste disposal authority - the North London Waste Disposal Authority - has revealed this week that it has built up a surplus of almost 150,000 tonnes of landfill allowances from that start of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme in 2005/06 to this financial year, 2007/08.

Such is the state of the LATS market that North London believes it now has a “large safety net” in case it needs to take its “ageing” Edmonton incinerator off-line for any significant unplanned downtime or if any further legislative environmental improvements need to be made.

Poor demand for LATS allowances has meant that we do not have a budget for revenue income from that source

 
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority

Meanwhile, according to Defra’s LATS register, Hampshire has already arranged the transfer of more than 580,000 tonnes of surplus allowances to other authorities in the first three years of the scheme.

These LATS surpluses have been cultivated by disposal authorities because the system allows disposal authorities to bank unused allowances from one year to use in later years. The exception to this banking is in Landfill Directive target years - 2010, 2013, 2020 - when the UK must meet European landfill targets; in these years allowances cannot be brought in from other years’ allocations.

Commenting on the causes of the surplus to the Authority’s board, North London officers said: “The perceived wisdom is that this is due to a downturn in the growth in the waste stream coupled with a general improvement in recycling and composting levels.”

Prices

Revealing the difficult state of the market for selling allowances, Manchester’s officers said in their report: “The Authority did sell 23,500 allowances in 2005/06. Since then, however, the market has collapsed and, with most WDAs currently sitting on surpluses, it is extremely difficult to find any buyers.

“The only deal of any value recorded on the Defra LATS Register in 2007 was for 20,000 allowances in April at a price of £5 per allowance,” it added.

The North London report notes that in the last few months 1.3 million tonnes worth of allowances have been put on the market for the years 2006/07 to 2008/09, with prices as low as £4.80 per tonne.

Manchester, and other authorities, face the prospect of losing their built-up surpluses of allowances at the end of 2008/09, prior to the first Landfill Directive target year of 2009/10. Its officers said: “It is therefore important that the Authority attempts to dispose of its surpluses before then.”

A notice is likely to be put out by Manchester that its allowances will be available “in line with the last trade at £5″ in order to generate interest from buyers. Manchester’s treasurer noted that “poor demand for LATS allowances has meant that we do not have a budget for revenue income from that source”.

North London is suggesting that when it comes to seek a sale of its surplus in 2007/08 and 2008/09, it will look at the current volume-weighted average prices posted by others and offer 5-10% lower for its allowances.

Its advisers, AEA Technology, have suggested selling allowances in 1,000 tonne “parcels” to determine the market’s appetite to buy.

The North London Waste Authority is predicting a 141,901 tonne surplus in the year after the first Landfill Directive target year, thanks in part to its Edmonton incinerator, a new in-vessel composting plant and plans to increase both recycling and composting.

Related links

• Greater Manchester WDA
• North London Waste Authority
• Defra: LATS

It is hoping that 2009/10 to 2012/13 “is the period in which the Authority might reasonably expect to obtain some real value from the sale of surplus allowances.”

Hampshire county council has been disappointed by the lack of income from its surplus allowances, but said it had been “prudent” in arranging its forward plans without including any potential LATS income. County accountants said as a result, they had “certainly not seen any headache” from the low LATS prices, adding that there had been other benefits from the county’s investment in landfill diversion infrastructure, which includes three new incinerators.

However, despite the apparently comfortable situation for buyers of landfill allowances at the moment, there was a word of warning from the North London authority, which pointed out: “If the waste stream growth changes adversely, or if recycling and composting levels flatten, or if planned new facilities do not come on stream, perhaps because of a failure to obtain planning consent, this could lead to a scramble for the purchase of allowances during the 2008/09 reconciliation period.”

London is to get four new recycling and reprocessing plants which will turn waste into renewable energy. It’s thought that the first one will be ready for building from 2008.

The London Climate Change Agency - part of the London Development Agency (LDA) - will work with London Remade to identify waste projects across London and develop the infrastructure to produce renewable fuels which can be used to supply buildings and transport systems. The new plants will turn organic waste and wood and paper into renewable gas using anaerobic digestion and a process called gasification.

The £225,000 project will also help to deliver the aims of the Mayor of London’s ‘climate change action plan’ to reduce London’s carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025, 25 years ahead of the government’s target.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said; “This is an important first step in developing what could become a major tool in our struggle to prevent catastrophic climate change. To achieve the sort of carbon emission cuts that are necessary in London, we have to move from a society based on huge waste of energy to one that finds every available method to create energy without adding to carbon emissions. Extracting energy from our rubbish, rather than simply dumping it in landfill sites or burning it, is a perfect example.”

Daniel Silverstone, chief executive of London Remade said: “We believe the capital needs £4bn investment in its waste management infrastructure if it is to meet the Mayor’s target of managing 85 per cent of its waste by 2020. The LDA funding is a positive step in helping us to achieve this goal.”

“Since compulsory recycling began on 10 September 2007 there has been an overwhelming response from residents.  I have been astonished by the support which  the scheme has received and early indications are that the volume of waste that residents are recycling has already increased by almost 20%.

“We have had thousands of requests for new recycling bins and there are four dedicated vehicles delivering the extra recycling boxes each day. I have always publicly stated that both residents and the Council will need time to adjust to compulsory recycling and it was never our intention to immediately monitor the compulsory element.

“We want to help people to recycle - I’ve said many times before that it is not our intention to fine residents and we will only consider doing so after persistent refusal to recycle.”

Thousands of people descended on Leytonstone to enjoy this year’s sixth annual Car Free Day event on Sunday.  The event was bigger and better than ever.  Visitors got to enjoy live bands, performers, cycling displays and a children’s fun fair.  The streets were filled with stalls and displays including a French and Continental market.

The artificial grass at the top of Church Lane outside the Library looked fantastic and
incorporated an “International Food Court” around it - people were able to buy food and drink and sit outside to enjoy it in what is normally a fairly busy road.

The aim of Car Free Day is that one-day a year some of the borough’s Town Centres become traffic-free zones and everyone gets to leave the car behind.

Waltham Forest Council’s Cabinet member for Environment Cllr Bob Belam, said: “Car Free day is a fun, community event, which I hope will raise awareness of the health and environmental benefits of sustainable living and sustainable transport.”

“This year we highlighted the different transport modes available and encouraged
People to reduce their car use. 234 people pledged to swap at least one car journey a week for an alternative mode of transport such as walking, cycling or public transport.”

This year adults and children had the opportunity to try out bikes - everything from a Penny Farthing to a recumbent tricycle. There was a unicycle as well as a mountain bike aerial display show and live music from Imagination and The Beat.

The Council is planning on rewarding drivers in the borough who have eco-friendly cars with cheaper car parking. The Green Parking scheme comes into place on 1st of October with residents who have low emission, electric, hybrid or cars converted to run on LPG benefiting from a 50% discount on the cost of their CPZ permit.

The Council has realised that cars are one of  the contributors to rising emissions of CO2 in the borough and by reducing these emissions it will help in tackling climate change.

A significant proportion of residents may be unaffected by the changes as cars in the average range would continue to be charged at the current rates (£45 for the first, £80 for the second and £105 for the third and subsequent permits at each household). However, residents with high emission vehicles like 4×4s and larger cars with engines of 2,001cc or more may be subject to a 100% increase. The vehicles most affected will be those with a CO2 emission over 185 g/km or if registered before
1st March 2001and being over 2,000cc.

Councillor Bob Belam, Environmental Services said: “Waltham Forest has committed itself to becoming one of the greenest boroughs in Greater London.  Green parking is one of many steps we are taking that will make a direct impact on climate change.
“We have identified cheaper parking as a positive way to reward drivers that help cut emissions. The Council estimates the number of low emission vehicles could go up by between two and five per cent as a result of green parking scheme.”

Local Lib Dems have welcomed a report which rates them as the top performing party on ‘green’ issues. However, they have acknowledged that all three main parties still have more work to do to tackle climate change. The report by the Green Alliance, entitled How green are our parties? The Green Standard report, claims that the Liberal Democrats have offered “the strongest set of policies on climate change, green taxation and green living” whilst also delivering “the most substantive policy commitments”. The Lib Dems were the only party to receive the top ‘green star’ rating for their action on Climate Change, Green Living and Environmental Tax and Subsidies, with the report claiming that the party’s ambitious green taxation plans were part of a “bold and far reaching strategy”. The report, however, awarded no ‘green star’ ratings to the Conservatives, claiming that “the gap between their aspirations on the environment and their limited policy commitments is stark”. Liberal Democrat group member Cllr Bob Belam said: “It is pleasing that the Liberal Democrat’s ambitious and forward thinking work on climate change is being recognised.  Tackling the problem requires tough action to be taken, and our commitment to initiatives such as green taxation schemes shows that we are prepared to put our money where our mouth is on this issue. “The report suggests that some of the rhetoric coming from other parties on the issue is little more than hot air”. However, Cllr Belam was quick to acknowledge that all parties had a responsibility to step up their work on all aspects of environmental protection. “Environmental action isn’t simply confined to action on climate change, but ensuring that we instill a ‘green’ ethic amongst residents can benefit our living environment in Waltham Forest aswell as making a contribution on a larger scale” 

Londoners are today being invited to help shape the capital’s future environmental policies by deciding whether or not to introduce a London-wide levy – or even an outright ban – on throw away shopping bags.
London Councils has launched a public consultation to give Londoners the opportunity to tell them what they think of one of the key provisions that will make up the 10th London Local Authorities Bill (LLAB).
The organisation first announced its intention to tackle the issue of throw away shopping bags in July, and is now calling on Londoners to tell them what they want. This is a unique opportunity for the capital’s residents to help shape and draft a future piece of legislation – and one that can make a significant difference to the environment.
The consultation asks the public its views on a range of options – from doing nothing, to an outright ban on all throw away shopping bags – or just for plastic ones. The consultation runs until Friday 26 October, and the views expressed in responses to the consultation will help shape the final proposal that will go into the 10th LLAB, due to be deposited in Parliament in November.
In the UK, over 13 billion bags are issued every year to shoppers – roughly 220 per person every year. For London, a conservative figure based on population size would indicate Londoners use at least 1.6 billion bags per year – although the number of tourists in the capital suggests that this figure is probably much higher.
While some of these bags will be re-used once or twice, official figures reveal that only one in 200 of these are recycled, meaning that billions of shopping bags are sent to landfill every year. Many of these will be plastic bags that can take over 400 years to break down.
The government, retailers and consumers recognise this as a problem, and many of them are already making efforts to reduce the amount of throw away shopping bags sent to landfill. London Councils agrees with these concerns, and wants to give Londoners a chance to lead the country in a bold initiative.
Speaking on the launch of the consultation, Chairman of London Councils, Councillor Merrick Cockell, said:
“This is an opportunity for London and for Londoners to lead the country in a bold initiative. We are asking for their views on our proposals to do something about the billions of shopping bags that end up sent to landfill each year, and their views will directly shape one of the key provisions planned for the 10th LLAB.
“Inevitably, the big solutions to environmental issues will come from our cities, and London, as one of the world’s truly global cities, is keen to step up to the mark and take the lead. I would urge everyone to seize this opportunity to help shape London’s environmental future.”
Commenting on the proposals, Councillor Sean Brennan, London Councils executive member for sustainability, said:
“London’s local authorities are at the sharp end of waste disposal, and as such, we are keen to take a lead on this issue. People need to realise that the ‘free’ shopping bag they pick up in the supermarket is not really free at all – certainly not in its cost to the environment.
“Introducing a levy on plastic bags should help consumers think twice before picking them up in future. But if Londoners feel strongly enough to propose an outright ban on free throw away shopping bags, then that is what we will lobby for.”
The consultation will go live on, Friday 14 September, and runs until Friday, 26 October 2007. To take part, please visit: www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/thebigquestion
What do we mean by a throw away shopping bag? Although plastic bags are often singled out – all types of throw away bag can have a significant environment impact.
So for the purposes of this consultation, ‘throw away shopping bags’ means all types of bags that are given away free and have a very limited intended and actual lifespan.
The outcome of the consultation will help shape one of the key provisions that will form part of the 10th London Local Authorities Bill, due to be deposited in November.
One role of London Councils is to help promote private legislation on behalf of the boroughs. As such, it helps to draft and then steer through Parliament, various parliamentary bills including the London Local Authorities Bills.
The most recent of these, the 9th Bill, recently received Royal Assent to become the London Local Authorities Act 2007.

The Commission for Integrated Transport (CFIT) has called for more to be done to cut carbon emissions from road vehicles, including installing gearshift indicators on dashboards to encourage drivers to use their gears properly and making drivers stick to a 70mph speed limit, generating 30 per cent less CO2 than at 80mph.The commission also said that emissions could be cut if air conditioning was used less and if roof racks were removed. It suggested that drivers could benefit from lessons in eco-motoring. Going easy on the accelerator and not breaking too heavily could make a significant difference. The CFIT called for all cars to produce no more than 100g of CO2 per kilometre by 2020 and wants the government to make flying more expensive. The committee said that its proposed measures would increase by 70 per cent the CO2 savings proposed by the government’s climate change programme, ie rather than stabilise carbon emissions by 2020, they would actually be reduced by 14 per cent. • Research by the Liberal Democrats has shown that the government may talk tough on the environment but green taxes have actually gone down in recent years. Fuel duty, landfill tax, hydrocarbon duty, air passenger duty and others took 2.7 per cent of national income in 2006 compared with a peak of 3.6 per cent in 1999. The Lib Dem Shadow Environment Secretary Chris Huhne said: “Mr Brown has cut green taxes by a fifth even though they are crucial to changing our behaviour. He has cut flood defence and climate research budgets. He vetoed the plan to toll road freight, and he ditched the legal requirements on big companies to report their environmental impact in operating and financial reviews.”• The Lib Dems are the greenest party, according to the Green Standard report by such environmental groups as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, WWF, the RSPB and the Campaign to Protect Rural England. The Lib Dems got three “green lights” in the report while Labour and the Tories didn’t get any 

High polluting cars would be subject to an annual tax of £2,000 as part of a package of measures to combat global warming by the Liberal Democrat Party.Zero-carbon vehicles would be exempt from vehicle excise duty under the proposals put forward by the party’s climate change policy group while gas-guzzlers would face a tenfold increase. The recommendations will be presented to delegates at the annual conference in Brighton next month for a vote - before they become official policy.“The Labour government’s aim of a 60 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2050 will not be enough,” said the report.“The objective of climate change strategy must be to make the UK carbon-neutral over the long term. A reduction in emissions of the magnitude that we are advocating will only happen if developed countries such as the UK take the lead by cutting their emissions.”The policy paper also suggests restricting airport runway capacity to current levels and new flight and freight green taxes.

Waltham Forest Council will soon reward drivers of eco-friendly cars with cheaper resident parking permits. The Green Parking scheme will come into place on Monday 1 October, and will link the cost of permits to the CO2 emissions of the vehicle.
The new charges will halve the current permit prices for the drivers of low emission vehicles, including electric or hybrid vehicles, while permits for high emission vehicles will double in price. It is expected that a significant proportion of drivers will be unaffected by the changes, as their vehicles will be classed as having average CO2 emissions, for which there is no change in permit charges.
From October, permits for low emission vehicles will cost £22.50 for the first permit in a household, £40 for the second and £52.50 for the third and subsequent permits. For average emission vehicles, permits will continue to be charged at the current costs of £45 for the first, £80 for the second and £105 for the third and subsequent permits in a household. High emission vehicles will be charged £90, £160 and £210 respectively for the first, second, and third and subsequent permits in a household.
Carbon dioxide emissions have been identified as a major contributor to climate change, and the Council is keen that residents choose greener forms of transport wherever possible.
Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Bob Belam, said “Waltham Forest has committed itself to becoming one of the greenest boroughs in Greater London. Green parking is one of many steps we are taking that will make a direct impact on climate change.
“We have identified cheaper parking as a positive way to reward drivers who help cut emissions. The Council estimates the number of low emission vehicles could go up by between two and five per cent as a result of green parking scheme.”
For more information on Green Parking, see www.walthamforest.gov.uk/parking-permits