‘Green’ Lewisham only composts 0.5% of waste

By Miranda Bryant

Despite having a bigger Green Party presence than any other London borough, Lewisham composted just 0.5 per cent of its household waste last year.

Thousands of tonnes of rubbish that could be composted were not, according to a report which revealed Lewisham as one of the worst amongst London boroughs for composting.

Students beat recession by making their own clothes

 

By Miranda Bryant

‘Hyggelig’, a new student movement devoted to customising clothing, knitting and recycling clothing has been set up by environmentally conscious Goldsmiths students.  

Southwark Council plays Big Brother

By Miranda Bryant

Anti-terror laws are being exploited by Southwark Council to catch residents committing minor offences, an investigation exposed this week.

The council admitted to The Platform that it used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to spy on residents to combat fly-tipping, which is the dumping of waste in unauthorised areas. 

A Freedom of Information investigation by a national newspaper found that 200 organisations, including councils, were using the law to spy, intercept phone calls and access personal computers.

The Southwark Council was found to be mounting cameras on lampposts to watch residents suspected of leaving rubbish out at the wrong time. One local government even used the law to stalk a six-year-old going to school to check if she was living in the right catchment area.

A spokesperson for Southwark Council said: “As a council, we’re committed to using the Act in a responsible, targeted and proportionate way, to provide the reassurance and protection that our local residents deserve.”

An utter waste of good rubbish

By Miranda Bryant

Lorry loads of domestic waste collected for recycling by Lewisham households are being incinerated because of minor incidents of contamination, The Platform can exclusively reveal.

Veolia, the firm contracted to handle the borough’s recycling, is routinely sending lorries away from its centre in Plumstead, because they don’t have the facility to remove unsuitable items.

A source at Greenwich council told The Platform that a stray morsel of food in a single bag of recycling is enough to break the strict criteria applied by the private contractor, employed by both councils, leaving them no choice but to burn it.

She said: “If the wrong items are collected from the street and they’re brought to the recycling centre, then the whole lorry is sent away so we have to be very careful. It happens frequently.”

Veolia did not deny the claims, but refused to elaborate on how often such incidents occur. Terry Dickenson, a senior supervisor at the firm said: “We don’t pass that sort of information on.”