Presentation

Measuring waste management performance in London.

Meranie výkonnosti odpadového hospodárstva v Londýne.

Key Words

Recycling rates, separate collection rate, recycling performance, carbon performance, metrics, London, improving performance.

Annotation

Realistic targets and goals are important to ensure that performance and efficiency of waste management processes improve. A wide range of metrics are available to measure waste, recycling and carbon performance however choosing the right metrics can be complicated or lead to perverse incentives such as ‘tonnage chasing’.

Effective metrics also allow for benchmarking and comparing waste management policies.

Due to local circumstances not all metrics reported on compare performance on a like for like basis, for example the ‘recycling rate’ vs the ‘separate collection rate’ which report very different metrics.

The past 3 years have seen more focus on the greenhouse gas (carbon) element of waste management in London and the goals of the London Boroughs to get to Net Zero by 2040 have only accelerated this.

My presentation will give an overview of the metrics currently used for London’s waste management performance and how changing environmental goals nationally see these changing from tonnage-based metrics to more comprehensive and holistic carbon-based metrics which aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from waste management processes or decarbonising these completely.

Lecturer’s Profile

Jarno is a member of the United Kingdom’s Chartered Institute of Waste Management and a specialist in local authority waste management. He holds a double degree in Facilities Management and has over 17 years’ experience in resource and waste management. 

As Waste and Recycling Manager for Westminster City Council he looks after its waste management provisions that provide services to a resident population of 250,000, 34,000 businesses as well as 1 million daily visitors, commuters and tourists. 

Jarno is the current Secretary of the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO). NAWDO is the primary network for senior local authority waste managers with statutory responsibilities for waste disposal.  It represents the interests of the client side of waste management for LA waste disposal authorities.

Organization’s Profile

Westminster City Council is the local authority serving the heart of London. The City of Westminster stretches from Pimlico and Victoria in the south through the West End, Marylebone and Bayswater to Paddington and Queen’s Park in the north-west. It includes the capital’s principal areas of government, shopping, entertainment and tourism and the headquarters of innumerable commercial and professional organisations together with extensive residential areas of all types.

The resident population now stands at approximately 255,000 but it is estimated that about 1 million people set foot in Westminster at some time during the day. There are also tens of thousands of people who live in the city for short periods or on a part-time basis who are not included in the permanent resident population.

The City Council employs about 4,800 staff who work flexibly over a number of office and site locations, almost all of them within the city boundaries. 

Westminster City Council employs 700 waste management staff which on a 24/7/365 basis collect 200,000 tonnes of waste and recycling each year, sweep and flush 10,000km of streets every week, remove 22km2 of graffiti and flyposting and clear up around 700 tonnes of litter after major events.