Cash being made available to help promote waste prevention products, reports Josh Mellor, Local Democracy Reporter

*Reusable nappies are being encouraged to help reduce waste (credit Real Nappies for London)*

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

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, a not-for-profit organisation allowing parents to access reusable, eco-friendly nappies.

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 offer advice on “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, 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 Edmonton Eco Park, which is undergoing a controversial £1.2billion rebuild.

NLWA says it has been difficult to improve recycling rates because many London homes are flats, which have limited space for bins, as well as the capital’s “transient” populations.

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

To find out more about claiming a reusable nappy voucher:
Visit realnappiesforlondon.org.uk

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