The London boroughs of Croydon, Merton, Sutton and Kingston upon Thames have joined forces to tackle a major challenge that is faced by all local authorities: achieving a dramatic and sustained reduction in the amount of household waste that is sent to landfill.
All councils in England and Wales have been told by Government that, by 2020, it must reduce the amount of biodegradable waste it sends to landfill by 65%*. This will be staggered by two "stepping stone” targets of a 25%* reduction by 2010 and a 50%* reduction by 2013. Authorities that do not meet these ‘landfill allowance' targets will be penalised with heavy fines of £150 per tonne over their allowance.
These are hugely challenging targets, which demand changes in the way waste is collected, treated and disposed of. In response, the south London boroughs of Croydon, Merton, Sutton and Kingston upon Thames are reshaping their services to create one of the boldest and most innovative approaches to date by establishing the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP).
The SLWP is a joint board of elected politicians from the four boroughs, closely supported by senior officers. The boroughs have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed Heads of Terms. The SLWP Board will have direct powers to let contracts, own assets and employ staff.
The aim is to procure and run a joint contract through the SLWP that will cover the treatment of waste, the management of the four boroughs' household reuse and recycling centres, the transport of residual waste to landfill and the management of the landfill site itself. The contract will not include the kerbside collection of refuse and recycling from households, which will continue to be managed by the boroughs individually.
The challenge that lies ahead is a substantial one. The four boroughs in the SLWP have a combined population of more than 850,000 people who generated 483,000 tonnes of municipal waste last year. This is predicted to rise to 668,000 tonnes by 2020 - the landfill allowance targets mean that only 85,000 tonnes (13%) will be landfill-able.
By working in partnership, the four boroughs will benefit from significant efficiency gains, potentially saving millions of pounds. It will be possible to attract more competitive quotes from contractors and reduce administration and monitoring costs by sharing resources.
The procurement of new facilities and services will be made over two phases and will be focused around the need to meet landfill allowance targets set for 2010, 2013 and 2020. Phase A will replace the boroughs' existing waste-disposal contracts that expire in September 2008. This phase will utilise materials-recycling facilities and in-vessel composting to ensure more biodegradable waste is diverted from landfill.
Phase B will look at making use of new emerging technologies such as Advanced Treatment.
Councillor Phil Thomas, Croydon's cabinet member for streets and environmental services, said: "There's little doubt that this is one of the biggest challenges that local authorities have ever faced. The South London Waste Partnership is meeting that challenge by pooling the finances, resources and expertise of four high-performing and neighbouring authorities.
"The four boroughs have a history of working well together on waste management issues and we're moving forward in a spirit of mutual trust, support and respect. The importance that this partnership works and achieves its objectives cannot be understated. Failure is not an option as the financial penalties of not meeting our landfill allowance targets could have a major impact on the boroughs' budgets, putting pressure on other front-line services and on council tax.
"With the help and support of our residents, we're confident that the SLWP will be successful in diverting significant amounts of waste from landfill, allowing us to meet our statutory obligations and make a positive contribution to the environment."
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