The journey to zero landfill
Find out how we ended out reliance on landfill and the environmental and financial benefits it’s delivered.
What does 300,000 tonnes of waste look like?
Every year, households across the South London Waste Partnership region create more than 300,000 tonnes of waste. If you’re struggling to picture what that might look like, imagine this: It’s enough to fill around 30,000 waste collection trucks. Parked nose to tail, they would stretch two entire loops of the M25 motorway. It’s a staggering amount of waste.
The good news is that we are now producing less waste than we were a few years ago.
Wasting less
Recycling is great, but producing less waste in the first place is even better. That’s why it such good news that since 2016/17 the amount of waste produced by households in the region has dropped by 13% (a reduction of 44,925 tonnes). This is a significant achievement, when you consider it has come at a time when the number of people living in the area has been on the rise.
Total household waste handled by the SLWP (2016/17 – 2022/23) – note the ‘blip’ in 2020/21 and 2021/22 caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recycling more
Between 2016/17 and 2019/20, as total waste volumes fell, there was also a significant increase in the proportion of household waste that the SLWP was able to recycle.
In that three-year period, the average SLWP recycling rate went up from 39% to 47%. Driven by significant changes to waste collection services across the region, this boost in recycling went against London and national trends, where recycling rates remained stubbornly stagnant.
Average recycling rates 2016/17 – 2022/23
The Covid-19 pandemic, alongside HGV driver shortages, hit recycling rates hard across the SLWP in 2020/21. The four SLWP boroughs are working hard to get back to pre-pandemic levels. Despite this recent dip, recycling rates today are still higher than they were in 2016/17 and all four SLWP boroughs are amongst the top eight boroughs for recycling in London.
All four SLWP boroughs are amongst the top eight boroughs for recycling in London.
Progress, but much more to do
So, there’s no doubt we are wasting less and recycling more than we were in 2016/17. Despite this, the South London Waste Partnership is still left with around 200,000 tonnes of household waste each year that has not been sorted by residents for recycling. Finding a safe, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way of disposing of that waste is one of the key roles of the Partnership; along with collecting, transporting and sorting 100,000+ tonnes of waste each year that households have sorted for recycling.
We are producing significantly less waste than we did in 2016/17, and we’re recycling more of the waste we do produce.
Journey to zero landfill
The Waste Hierarchy
Most preferred environmental option
Reducing waste is the most preferred option. Minimising the amount of waste we produce in the first place is by far the most effective way of reducing the impact we have on the environment.
When waste is created, the waste hierarchy prioritises reuse. Where possible, reusing products and materials before it becomes waste is the next best option. By cleaning, repairing and refurbishing items, we can significantly increase the number of things we reuse.
Recycling is the most environmentally sustainable solution when it comes to disposing of waste. Recycling essentially turns our waste into new items or products, reducing the amount of raw materials required.
For waste that can’t be re-used or recycled, energy recovery is the next best option. Energy from waste is the process of incinerating non-recyclable waste to produce electricity. It helps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for power generation and decreases carbon emissions.
At the bottom of the waste hierarchy is the least desirable option: disposal. This is when waste is either sent to landfill or treated in an older-style incinerator that doesn’t recover energy from the process. Disposal should always be the last resort for waste.
Least preferred environmental option
