Mayor Livingstone launched a recycling scheme which offers residents of the Tulse Hill Estate, who take part for at least half of the six-month period, £10 for their participation, the first such plan in the UK. Residents participating will be given a booklet of slips that are posted in a special box each time they take their recyclable materials to the recycling bins located on the Estate. These barcoded slips and the glass, paper, aluminium and tin cans will be collected weekly.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) and the London borough of Lambeth stress that they are keen to involve high density housing areas, often forgotten recycling targets, as well as terraced and detached housing in their schemes. The GLA will be launching further recycling opportunities across the Capital as part of its new Waste Strategy in the coming months.

“Everyone should have a chance to be involved in recycling,” Livingstone commented. “With the high levels of waste produced in London each year, it’s vital that recycling is encouraged as a way of reducing the need for landfill sites or turning to incinerators as a solution. This is just the first stage in a project that I am already planning to launch elsewhere in London over the next few months and am hoping will eventually be adopted nationwide.”

The scheme is to be operated by Lambeth Community Recycling, part of ECT Recycling, the largest non-profit, community owned, recycling organisation in the UK, marketing over 44,000 tonnes of recycled material every year. Lambeth Community Recycling also operates a unique estate recycling bin service on over 120 sites in the borough so that those living in medium and high rise properties can use the recycling service.

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