News
The Woeful State of Recycling in Hackney
2005-12-10 11:42:58 By Matthew Penhaligon
Mayoral Candidate
The environment we live in has a huge impact on our lives. By abusing our environment we are robbing future generations of the right to the quality of life we enjoy. The Liberal Democrats are committed to combatting climate change through recycling, education and energy efficiency (including grants for insulation in these times of rising fuel prices).
Hackney Council's Performance - Or lack of it
Here in Hackney, however, it is clear that the council doesn’t share our worries for the future — just 6% of our waste was recycled in 2003-4. This compares unfavourably with other London boroughs — Hillingdon and Merton manage to recycle more than 30% of their waste. In fact, Hackney is the tenth worst in Britain (from 386 councils)!
Plastic Recycling
Despite our calls over the last four years, Hackney Council has still failed to provide any meaningful facilities for plastic recycling in the borough. This is particularly worrying as plastic takes a particularly long time to biodegrade. If dumped in a landfill site, a plastic bottle can take up to 150 years to disappear. Friends of the Earth have pointed to the many problems associated with plastics both in terms of then ozone layer and the hazardous chemicals it is connected with.
We deserve better
If neighbouring Islington can provide plastic recycling facilities, why can’t Hackney? And why is our council so woefully uncommitted to persuading us to recycle more? I will continue to pressure the council until we see real improvements in their environmental performance.
Tags:
environmen, recycling
