Resource Programme

From rubbish to Resource

Every year Southwark residents generate 137,000 tonnes of rubbish. That's almost a tonne per household in the borough, enough to fill Millwall Football Stadium or the Tate Modern to the roof.

Currently most of this rubbish is buried in the ground at landfill sites in Essex. But space is running out and landfill is a known contributor to global warming. To counter this, the Government requires a drastic reduction in waste sent to landfill.

To help tackle our waste problem, Southwark Council has launched the Resource Programme, an ambitious project that will enable us to recycle half of our rubbish by 2020, using the rest as a resource. Our rubbish will soon be used to replace the use of fossil fuels to make energy, or be used instead of raw materials in landscaping.

What's the waste problem?

Southwark's population is increasing
We are producing more and more rubbish every year
The cost of sending rubbish to landfill is rocketing
Landfill is bad for the environment

With your help we've transformed recycling in Southwark. In the early part of 2002 we recycled less than 4% of rubbish, however this has leapt to more than 18%.

But to meet your environmental objectives and our government targets we need to do much more.

What targets do we need to meet?

Minimum recycling targets
Maximum landfill allowances

The Government has set targets for every council in the country for the next 15 years. Every year the targets are increased and if a council fails to meet its targets, it will be fined.

At the moment about a quarter of our rubbish is sent to the South East London Combined Heat and Power (SELCHP) incinerator plant in Lewisham, where it is burned and electricity is generated. The rest – a massive 90,000 tonnes every year, is sent to landfill in Essex. That amount needs to be dramatically reduced. By 2020 we will be able to send less than 25,000 tonnes to landfill.

We also need to increase recycling faster than ever, recycling and composting 20% of our rubbish by April 2008 and 50% by 2020.

More details on these targets are in our Waste Strategy and Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) documents.

Please download the documents below to read Southwark's Waste Management Strategy for 2003 to 2021.

Waste Strategy - Contents, Background, Legislation and Statistics (1,220 kb)
Waste Strategy - Policies, Plans and Glossary (582 kb)

The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, LATS, was created to reduce the quantity of biodegradable waste sent to landfill across Europe.

Go to Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (38 kb) and read about its impact on Southwark.

To view these documents you will need Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.

Background

In September 2003, we consulted with residents to devise a strategy to deal with Southwark's growing waste problem. You said the council should

Reduce the total amount of waste produced
Get people recycling as much as possible, even more than the minimum government requirements
Deal with rubbish at a new waste facility in the borough

For more detail, please see the waste strategy, prepared with your input.

Where we are now

In January 2005, the council was awarded £34.5 million of Government funding to help build the new facilities.

Following a review of six outline proposals in 2005, four companies were invited to submit their bids to explain how they propose to meet the council's Waste Management Strategy requirements. The four companies were: Biffa Waste Services Ltd, Cory Environmental Ltd, Shanks Group plc and Veolia Environmental Services Ltd. Following a comprehensive evaluation of the bids received we are delighted to announce we have now selected a preferred partner, Veolia Environmental Services Ltd, who will be responsible for building the new facility on the Old Kent Road and delivering the integrated waste management contract.

Southwark and its new partner will work together for the next 20 to 30 years developing and implementing the new recycling services and facilities.

Moving Forward

We've created a proposal for a cost effective, environmentally friendly solution to recycle or compost 50%, and generate value from 75% of our waste by 2020.

We'll do this by

Recycling more materials
Extending recycling services

But more recycling means we need more space.

Currently, the depot at Manor Place is too small to deal with the planned increase in recycling. So, we are developing a new Resource Park on the Old Kent Road using clean, green technology to

Deal with recycling collected from local homes and businesses
Sort all remaining rubbish to recycle as much waste as possible
Turn as much remaining waste as possible into a fuel or soil improver

The gasworks site on the Old Kent Road has been designated as the site for the Resource Park in conjunction with the Unitary Development Plan. Planning guidance has been prepared to guide what can and can't be built on the site.

Key points

There will be no incineration on site, only mechanical and biological treatment facilities
The facility will be contained inside a building: noise, smell and traffic will be managed on site
The only material to leave the site will be products: compost, recyclables and fuel for energy generation
Local employment opportunities will be created during both the construction and operation of the new facility

There will also be a visitor centre designed to inspire the next generation of green champions. Initially a 'pop in' centre will be based on the Old Kent Road close to the new site and everyone in the community will be able to visit this centre to find out more information on the plans for the Resource Park. Once development is complete a permanent visitor and information centre will form part of the comprehensive community involvement that is planned as part of the new contract arrangements. Further details on the 'pop in' centre will be available soon.

The new Resource Park will reduce the amount of rubbish we send to landfill each year from 66% to 12% - just 23,000 tonnes. This puts us streets ahead in reducing our environmental impact and well within the national targets.

A key question you've asked - Are you planning to build an incinerator?

No, the council will not be building an incinerator like the South East London Combined Heat and Power Plant (SELCHP).

You can view other FAQ's here.

Waste on the site will be processed using a method known as Mechanical Biological Treatment. This involves sorting waste to remove things that can be recycled. Once sorted as much material as possible is recycled – for example scrap metal will be sold, food and garden waste will be treated biologically to produce compost. Any waste that can't be recycled is broken down so that it can be used for fuel.

The council will consult widely throughout the process so please contact us to get involved.

Contact us

Resource Programme Team
Tel: 020 7525 2491
resource@southwark.gov.uk
Manor Place Depot
30–34 Penrose Street
London
SE17 3DW