The money will be used to encourage more people to use “waste-free” products like reusable nappies
By Local Democracy Reporter Josh Mellor

A CGI image of the planned new incinerator (credit: NLWA)

The owners of the Edmonton incinerator are investing a quarter of a million in “waste prevention projects”.

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) – which manages waste from seven north London boroughs – hopes to encourage the use of reusable nappies and waste-free period products.

Part of the £250,000 it will invest next April will go towards buying £54 vouchers for Real Nappies for London, allowing local parents to try the more eco-friendly product for free.

The investment forms part of the authority’s draft waste prevention plan for the next three years, which includes campaigns to educate residents about the “journey of waste” and “sustainable behaviours”.

The plan also includes lobbying the government to ban products that create waste or are designed not to last.

It criticises the government for “delaying” reforms on packaging and deposit return schemes, which could significantly cut the amount of waste produced.

In 2022/23, the NLWA estimates that only 28.7% of household waste in the boroughs it covers was recycled, well below the national target of 50%.

Much of that household waste, also known as black bin waste, was burned to produce electricity at the NLWA’s Edmonton EcoPark, which is undergoing a controversial £1.2billion rebuild.

The NLWA says it has been difficult to improve recycling rates due to many London homes being flats, which have limited space for bins, and the capital’s “transient” populations.

The authority’s joint strategy to improve recycling rates is currently under development after the previous previous long-term strategy ended in 2020.

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