London has seven incinerators and the lowest recycling rate of any region in the UK by far.

I’ve spent over 13 years explaining how these giant polluting towers burn waste that should be recycled. London’s Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem councillors have all promoted Energy from Waste plants as a good solution, despite the health worries about pollution and the growing evidence that burning plastic is very bad for climate change. London’s seven incinerators, many fed by waste from Labour controlled councils, are the reason why Sadiq Khan won’t deliver on the promise of a zero waste London.

My 2018 report A Burning Problem showed how we were burning material that would otherwise be recycled.  It was a follow up to a 2010 report I wrote as a Green Party member of the London Assembly which highlighted the same danger. That’s why I completely support the campaign by residents to stop the Edmonton Incinerator from being replaced. The project is supported by the Labour politicians who run Enfield and Waltham Forest councils, which places Sadiq in a difficult position. That’s why we need a Mayor who has no qualms about opposing councils who are advocating incineration.

London needs a Mayor who would deliver a zero waste strategy by 2030 and provide a cleaner future for everyone living in that area of north London. A zero waste London would create a lot of jobs in both the recycling industry and with a myriad of re-use projects. It would enable a London Mayor to put pressure on the supermarkets, major manufacturers and chain stores to rethink the way they produce things, including all the unnecessary plastic packaging. Incinerators have become a major contributor to climate change so until we achieve zero waste, London cannot become a zero carbon city,