Recycle for London campaign launched

A new recycling campaign urging Londoners to recycle more has been launched.

Recycle for London will help local authorities to save taxpayers' money and build on the £30m Londoners saved last year by opting to recycle.

It currently costs 25 per cent more to get rid of rubbish in a black bin than to recycle it and it is set to increase further with landfill sites filling up and landfill taxes coming into force.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is keen to help Londoners avoid these increases and save money by highlighting that if recycling efforts were doubled then up to £320m by 2015 could be saved.

With an estimated 80 per cent of the average bin content able to be recycled, the campaign's message is to thank Londoners for their recycling efforts and show that by recycling, money could be freed up that local councils could spend on other, vital local services, especially in times when public finances are stretched.

The Recycle for London campaign will feature on sites across the capital's transport network and will alert Londoners to the environmental and financial benefit of recycling more, appealing to them to visit the campaign's website to find out how they can do so.

All London boroughs collect at least plastic bottles, newspapers and cans from households with many offering a wide range of additional services.

If London can recycle 60 per cent of its rubbish, an estimated 350 new jobs could be created each year until 2025.

Johnson, said: "Recycling our waste material makes sound economic as well as environmental sense."

"This fantastic new campaign brings home the simple but powerful message that every item recycled rather than binned, collectively saves the city big bucks."

Further information:
Greater London Authority