The Guardian: "Global hunger for plastic packaging leaves waste solution a long way off"

Link to The Guardian

"Five hundred tonnes of Christmas tree lights and at least 25m bags of plastic sweet wrappers, turkey coverings, drinks bottles and broken toys will be thrown away by UK homes this Christmas and new year. But only a tiny proportion of this waste will be recycled.

"Even at other times of year, only a little under a quarter of the UK's plastic waste is recycled, but over the festive period still less escapes the tip, according to a survey by home drinks maker SodaStream. Globally, recycling of plastics is even smaller."

---

Link to The Guardian

"EU warns: Wasting environmental resources could spark new recession"

"The overuse and waste of valuable natural resources is threatening to produce a fresh economic crisis, the European Union's environment chief has warned.

Janez Potočnik, the EU commissioner for the environment, linked the current economic crisis gripping the eurozone with potential future crises driven by price spikes in key resources, including energy and raw materials:

"It's very difficult to imagine [lifting Europe out of recession] without growth, and very difficult to imagine growth without competitiveness, and very difficult to be competitive without resource efficiency."

Ham and High

(Click above.

You may be able to enlarge further, with this

link, and then clicking a second time.)

The 'South London Waste Partnership' Domestic Waste Incinerator:

Link to Croydon Today

"CONTROVERSIAL plans for a household waste-burning incinerator will save taxpayers millions and significantly reduce the borough's carbon footprint, waste chiefs have claimed.

"The incinerator earmarked for the Croydon/Sutton border, in Beddington Lane, is expected to burn up to 275,000 tonnes of waste a year currently dumped in landfill at the site."

---

Link to earlier Beddington Lane post.

The Guardian: "How to avoid a repeat of the UK [actually English] riots"

Link to The Guardian

"This was a crisis, but it was one David Cameron felt comfortable with. The two themes of his leadership forged into one: broken society was the diagnosis; "big society" was the cure. To an extent he was right. Fathers, parenting, discipline in schools and a sense of community can shield people from poverty, gangs and rap culture. 

"However, his remedy fails on its most fundamental premise: the state is to blame. It is said that 'big government' had crowded out our sense of responsibility to one another. Yet the location of the riots told a different story. Society hadn't been crowded out by big government; it had been abandoned by the big economy."

[Reposted from Sept.] Pinkham Way: Buggering up Barnet's Cunning Plan

Cunning Plan
- report before LB of Barnet committee here

Fly in the Ointment
- Barnet's dustcart depot, bottom-left of above map

Face like a bulldog chewing a wasp
- Brian Coleman at last night's meeting: report from Mrs Angry

(Click to enlarge images.)
(Last photo: Barnet Bugle.) 

BBC: "London in 2012: Challenging year ahead"

Link to BBC web site

"As far as years go, 2012 has the potential to be about as big as they get for London. In May, Londoners will go to the polls to vote for a mayor, who will continue the role of repairing the damage caused by last summer's riots.

"Meanwhile the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee are set to be defining moments. But are the people in charge of making sure things run smoothly feeling confident about the year ahead?"

NLWA provides more Pinkham Way information

"We are currently undertaking a competitive procurement process for new waste services, which will shape how we provide a modern, sustainable approach to managing the waste from the north London area over the next 25 to 35 years.

"As part of the procurement process we need to find sites for new waste facilities within the north London area, rather than send it to the home counties or beyond.

"We already use waste facilities on three key sites in North London, namely:

• a rail transfer station in Hendon, Barnet; 
• an energy-from-waste incinerator, a composting plant, a road transfer station and a number of specific recycling operations at a large site in Edmonton, Enfield; and 
• a road transfer station in Islington.

"The transfer stations are too small to accommodate new waste facilities of the scale that is needed, and there isn’t the space to put everything at Edmonton, particularly as we will need to continue to use the existing energy-from-waste incinerator on the site, whilst new facilities are being built.

"Accordingly, we need a new site for waste processing within north London. The proposed Pinkham Way facility at the former Friern Barnet Sewage Works would therefore contribute to the improved management of a significant proportion of North London’s waste."

---

PLUS:  (wait for it...)

Our responses

Introduction

In this section you will find some of our recent consultations. We typically respond to a consultation, if it is likely to affect the operational practices or finances of the Authority.

This section will be completed shortly

 (Er, that's it.)

Private Eye 'Rotten Boroughs Awards 2011'

Barnet Bloggers:

"Broken Barnet" (Mrs Angry)

"Mr Mustard"

Carmarthanshire Blogger:

"Carmarthenshire Planning Problems
and more"

[Guest post, via a Brent blog] "Is there Life after Car? (the last one blew up in Chiswick)"

Link to "Wembley Matters"

"We gave up the family car two years ago, or rather, our car gave up on us. It blew up in Chiswick, West London.

"... All my adult life I had owned a car. In the beginning, it represented independence from my parents, then later, it was for carrying my own children around. Having a car gave me choices, rather than relying on lifts or public transport, which was slow, expensive and unreliable.

"Our culture is now totally geared to car ownership; it is what we aspire to. The car we own shows our status, and marks our position in the hierarchy. But something has flipped in the equation. In the real world, cars are now the slow, expensive, stressful ones. They no longer mean freedom; in many ways they imprison us."

The Guardian: "Paper bags or plastic bags: which are best?"

Link to The Guardian

"So victory for paper bags – they are the children of trees! – in the war against decadent, dolphin-smothering plastic. Except, like most wars, it is far from clear if it has left the world a better place. 

Wrap, the government-funded company set up to reduce waste, summarises the drawbacks of paper bags: while from a renewable source and biodegradable, compostable and recyclable, they require far more energy to make and transport than plastic, have less re-use potential, and produce methane if dumped in landfill."

---

"Fly-tipping in England mapped"

"Fly-tipping in the England cost local authorities over £60million in 2011. How bad is your area for dumping waste?"

New Wording on Pinkham Way from Haringey Council (and with a PRIVATE email address)

Planning application for use for waste management of Pinkham Way

"The planning application for a waste management and vehicle depot scheme was submitted in May 2011 by the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) and the London Borough of Barnet.

"The application is on hold and has not been validated. While on hold, it will not progress to validation, consultation or decision.

Planning application on hold until 2012

"Haringey Council and the applicants have agreed that the application should stay on hold and await public consultation, consideration and decision until after the Examination in Public (EiP) into the North London Waste Plan (NLWP) – which is exploring where new waste sites in North London could be located – is completed.

The NLWA – managing waste in Haringey and North London

"The NLWA is a joint waste disposal authority which a statutory duty to manage the waste disposal requirements of the seven North London boroughs of Haringey, Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest.

The North London Waste Plan

"The Mayor of London and all London boroughs must make provision for the management of waste, in line with population growth, and in particular for the provision of adequate waste sites.

"The north London boroughs in the NLWA have drafted the joint North London Waste Plan (NLWP), which assesses population and waste growth, and the capacity of existing sites. It also proposes the scale, quantity and possible locations of new sites needed.

"The NLWP proposes that 11 existing municipal waste sites (including household waste recycling centres) should remain and that there should be an additional two new sites: at Geron Way in Barnet, and at Pinkham Way in Haringey.

"The proposed submission version of the NLWP has already been to public consultation, and will soon be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in revised form, taking consultation responses into account.

"The plan’s recommendations will be examined in Spring 2012 by an independent planning inspector, who will assess the soundness of the draft plan and consider objections received through the public consultation."

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Q. What is happening with the planning application for Pinkham Way?

A. The application is on hold. Whilst on hold, the application will not progress to validation, registration, public consultation or decision.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. What does “on hold” mean?

A. Both of the applicants (NLWA and the London borough of Barnet) and Haringey Council have agreed that the application should be put on hold and await formal public consultation, consideration and decision until after the examination in public into the North London Waste Plan (NLWP), which assesses where new waste sites for north London could be located.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. When will the application be consulted and decided upon?

A. Public consultation and committee decision on the Pinkham Way planning application will wait until after the completion of the forthcoming examination in Public (EiP) into the NLWP.

Once public consultation begins, Haringey Council will consult with local residents, community groups, businesses and councillors, will display information in local libraries, and will hold a ‘development management forum’ to offer people the chance to find out more about the plans.

The council will liaise with Barnet and Enfield Councils regarding consultation in those boroughs. Haringey Council is keen to ensure that everyone is aware of the proposals, and knows how they can express their views. All consultation responses will be taken into account in the evaluation and decision making process.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. What is the North London Waste Authority?

A. The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) is a joint waste disposal authority with a statutory duty to manage the waste disposal requirements of the seven North London borough of Haringey, Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. What is the North London Waste Plan?

A. The North London Waste Plan (NLWP) is a document produced by seven North London planning authorities – Haringey, Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest – which outlines proposals for future waste management in the boroughs, taking into account population growth.

The plan identifies how many new waste management sites are needed, and where they may be located.

A draft NLWP is being submitted to the independent Planning Inspectorate and its recommendations will be examined in public in 2012.

The NLWP proposes that 11 existing municipal waste sites (including household waste recycling centres) should remain and that there should be an additional two new sites: at Geron Way in Barnet, and at Pinkham Way in Haringey.

Further information on the draft North London Waste Plan can be found on the NLWP website (external link)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Why do you have to increase the level of waste provision?

A. The Mayor of London’s London Plan has set a target for London to be self sufficient in the management of its waste – rather than sending waste to counties outside of London – by 2031.

The population of North London is rising from 1.73m in 2010 to a projected 1.93m in 2027, with waste expected to rise from 4.7m tonnes per year now to 5.1m tonnes per year in 2031. The North London Waste Authority has a duty to ensure there are sufficient waste facilities to cope with the increase.

For more information please visit the London Plan website (external link)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Who appoints in Planning Inspector who will assess the North London Waste Plan?

A. The planning inspector for the NLWP examination in public is appointed by the Planning Inspectorate. This is an executive agency of the government’s Department for Communities and Local Government. The inspector is independent of the North London Waste Authority and the NLWP.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. How many waste management sites does the draft North London Waste Plan identify?

A. The plan identifies two new sites – the former sewage treatment works at Pinkham Way in Haringey and at Geron Way in Barnet. The plan also protects 11 existing waste sites in the seven NLWA boroughs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Who agreed the draft North London Waste Plan?

A. The draft NLWP was agreed by all seven North London borough members of the North London Waste Authority before being submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, which will hold an examination in public in 2012.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. What consultation was done on the NLWP?

A. The draft plan went through four stages of consultation:

• 2007 – preparatory work on issues and options
• Jan/Feb 2008 – consultation on issues and options
• Oct/Nov 2009 – consultation on draft plan (preferred options)
• May-July 2011 – consultation on submission version of plan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. When was the draft NLWP agreed in Haringey?

A. The preferred options of the NLWP went before the council’s Cabinet group for approval in September 2009. Minutes of that meeting can be seen on the agenda and draft minutes page for this meeting.

The proposed submission version of the NLWP went before Cabinet in February 2011. Minutes of that meeting can be seen on the agenda and draft minutes page for this meeting.

The proposed submission version also went before Full Council in February 2011, where it was approved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Why is Pinkham Way being considered as a waste management site?

A. Pinkham Way was assessed in the NLWP as being a suitable site for waste management. This will be considered further by the independent planning inspector as part of the examination in public.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. How can Pinkham Way be a possible site for waste management when it is designated both for employment and as a site for nature conservation in Haringey Council’s borough plan?

A. It is possible to have employment uses on nature conservation sites. The site for nature conservation designation will be taken into account as part of any planning application for any kind of development on the site.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Why is Haringey Council seeking to change the designation of Pinkham Way from “employment land” to “industrial land”? Is that to make it easier for Pinkham Way to be used as a waste site?

A. The council is proposing to change the status of Pinkham Way to “industrial” – for factories and storage – from “employment” – which is also for factories and storage but also covers community use and cultural industries, which would normally only be located in a town centre.

Waste facilities are seen as suitable for either designation, and the selection criteria for a waste facility does not distinguish between the two.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. What if I still want to comment on the North London Waste Plan?

A. The consultation for the draft NLWP has already taken place and no further comments are being taken.

All responses to the consultation will be considered by the Planning Inspector as part of the examination in public (EiP) of the NLWP.

The Planning Inspector will invite interested parties who submitted a formal response to the consultation to attend the EiP to voice their concerns.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. How do I find out more about the examination in public?

A. Details of the EiP will be available on the NLWP website (external link).

Examination and programme officer Pauline Butcher will handle procedural, admin and programming matters under the direction of the inspector and will contact those who made comments on the NLWP with details of the inspection as they become available.

Pauline can be contacted on ldfprogrammeofficer@tiscali.co.uk or on 020 7974 6684.

Pinkham Way Alliance: Santa sends greetings

"From all of us in the PWA, to those of you who are in the PWA... here's to a happy holiday. We've all had an extra problem facing us this year, and a break from it is well deserved.

So much has been done in these past few months, and we can be very proud of what we've achieved so far. Without our efforts, these proposals might already have been granted outline planning permission. But rather than this, the dubious ways in which the Pinkham Wood site has been selected and prepared are now identified for independent scrutiny.

Let's enjoy Christmas, and come back fighting fit in the New Year. In January, we should find out more about when government inspectors will assess our communal objections to Haringey’s 'Core Strategy' and the 'North London Waste Plan'. The conclusion of these two issues, in the early part of 2012, will be key moments in our campaign.

Thank you everyone once again for your ongoing support and engagement, in this huge issue for our communities.

Best wishes, Pinkham Way Alliance

The Observer: "The rise of Aedas is a triumph for efficiency"

Link to The Observer

"Last week's news from the world of architecture is that there is a new global No 1 practice. It is British in origin, although now spread all over the world, which should inspire a warm glow in these troubled times.

"The firm in question, Aedas, has deposed the former leader, the American Aecom, in Building Design magazine's World Architecture 100 list of leading practices, which measures a practice's size by the number of architectural employees. Aedas has nearly 1,500 of them.

"... Aedas pose an important question, without entirely answering it: if businesses and governments want to make cities where almost everything is shaped by efficiencies and processes, what can architects do to make them better?

Mrs Angry allows her attempt to control Barnet Council meetings to get totally out of hand

Link to the 'Famous Five' Barnet Bloggers
(as endorsed by Secretary of State Eric Pickles)

Where North London leads, West London follows

Link to West London Waste Plan draft

"In west London, six London boroughs have agreed to co-operate to produce a single waste plan for their combined area. When finalised, this plan will form part of each of their respective Local Development Frameworks.

"The West London Waste Plan details the amount for the different types of waste expected to be produced in west London up to 2026; identifies the current sites available to help deal with that waste; identifies the current shortfall of facilities needed, and proposes a set of further sites which might be used for waste facilities in the future."

---

Link to "It's Grim Up North London Waste Authority".

Ex-1980's Mining Minister, Peer of the Realm wants to regulate, well, THIS blog!

Link to Eric Pickles's friend,
Mrs Angry's 'Broken Barnet'

"... The article reports that Lord Hunt wants to scrap the PCC, and replace it with a new body which will be an effective regulator of the press - and other areas too, such as the blogosphere and the internet.

"His initial plan for online media is to invite bloggers who write on current affairs to volunteer to be regulated by the replacement body for the PCC.

"They would be able to carry a ‘Kitemark’, showing that they abide by the new body’s code of practice. They would lose the ‘Kitemark’ if complaints against them were repeatedly upheld. But this regulatory oversight would mean bloggers having to pay a fee to the new body, which would be funded by the publications that it regulates. Hunt said:

"I want accuracy to be the new gold standard for blogs. Once they have agreed to be accurate, everything would follow from that. I would like to see a ‘Kitemark’ on the best blogs so the public can trust what they read in them."

"Er: what? Mrs Angry wonders if the new Chair of the PCC actually knows what a blog is.

"... Mrs Angry can assure Lord Hunt that no one with any intelligence will want to read anything written by a blogger sporting one of these code of conduct kitemarks: it will be an indication to the blog-reading public of a guarantee of tedium and lack of originality, and will be avoided like the plague in favour of the thousands of interesting, innovative and well-written pieces by independently-minded bloggers, who do not want or need the permission or intervention of any regulatory body, thank you very much.

"Mrs Angry would also suggest to his lordship that as a member of an undemocratically-appointed chamber of legislation, and the lucky recipient of a post whose appointment process would appear to be something of an arcane mystery, he might be better off not telling everyone else what to do, think, or say with such authority."

(That's enough anger, Mrs Angry.)

For Sale: "Materials Recovery and Energy Centre". No careful owners. Buyer to collect. No guarantee.

Link to 'UK Without Incinerators Network'

Neath Port Talbot Council has placed the controversial Crymlyn Burrows Incinerator up for sale. Notices (such as this one) have appeared on-line, advertising the sale of the share capital of Neath Port Talbot (Recycling) Limited, the company that owns and operates the troubled plant.

Swansea Friends of the Earth, who warned against the building of the incinerator, see this as the council giving up on the project. Swansea FoE Chairman Roy Jones said:

"The plant has always had a lot of problems, and has never worked at full capacity."

The original company ceased trading, forcing the Council to take over. The plant has experienced two fires, persistent problems with odours, and earlier this year was forced to close for a period by the Environment Agency, because of problems with emissions of highly toxic dioxins. Less than a year ago ,the Environment Agency announced their intention to take legal action against the incinerator operators (see the BBC report). and LetsRecycle report.)

Mr Jones added:

"Local residents who have suffered the problems for years will now face the prospect of yet another outfit running the failing plant."

The background to this situation is available from the Swansea Friends of the earth website.

The Ecologist: "UK uses EU 'loophole' to delay tackling air pollution in London"

Link to The Ecologist

"Government lawyers are set to argue in the High Court that EU rules allow them to delay meeting air pollution targets until as late as 2025 in London, despite growing health crisis.

"Simon Birkett, from the Campaign for Clean Air in London, said:

"The entire directive is about complying with NO2 limits by 2010. If the government was right, it would make a nonsense of the whole directive. It would mean member states did not need to do anything by any of the deadlines. That is ridiculous. They're putting more effort into arguing against it, rather than tackling the problem."

"ClientEarth lawyer Alan Andrews said they would be asking the court to declare the plans 'unlawful' and order the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to come up with a plan to reduce NO2 levels by 2015."

[Updated] NLWA: The rusty iron curtain rises slightly...

---

NORTH LONDON WASTE AUTHORITY

TUESDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2011 

AT 10.00 AM 

COMMITTEE ROOM 2, 

CAMDEN TOWN HALL, 

JUDD STREET, 

LONDON, WC1H 9JE

Link to Meeting documents

Link to the Agenda, including:

9.

Data Transparency

Report of the Managing Director. This report advises Members of the principles, scope and expectations now placed upon local authorities in England by central government in terms of data transparency. In particular the report summarises the requirements of the “Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency” issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government in September 2011 and the implications for the Authority in this regard. The report also indicates how officers are implementing the Code.

---

UPDATE: 

The meeting 'noted' the above report. (Brian Coleman didn't like it.)

Also, the meeting increased the extra

£250,000 for one year

to be spent on waste reduction campaigns, to

£300,000 for two years. 

This was done "just like that" by Clyde Loakes!

Barnet Press: "Deadline looms for Friern Barnet library plan"

Link to Barnet Press

"CAMPAIGNERS from the Save Friern Barnet Library group are submitting detailed proposals to Barnet Council tomorrow, following a request by the authority to the community for plans for the library.

"The group will be contributing financial plans and details of the campaign’s formal constitution, their governance arrangements and bank accounts, alongside additional documentation.

"The council’s cabinet previously approved a strategy to close the library, merge it with North Finchley Library and reopen in the artsdepot at Tally Ho Corner."

And now for something completely different: Japan's amazing lunchboxes

Link to BBC web site

"Making a packed lunch for your children to take to school is a chore performed by parents around the world.

"But in Japan, it is not just the taste and healthiness of the meal that is important - but how it looks. That can be pandas, teddy bears, or even real people."

NLWA: "Tonnes of waste saved from landfill as north London shows it's all about give and take..."

[With comments.]

"North London residents helped save more than 6.5 tonnes of waste homewares, electrical items and clothing from going to landfill this autumn, as hundreds of people from across the seven north London boroughs participated in North London Waste Authority (NLWA)'s 'Give and Take' Days. 

"The [only] 14 events, delivered in partnership with north London's seven borough councils and environmental charity Waste Watch, took place at weekends from September to November in schools and community centres across the area. An impressive 1,698 people attended the events, and stopped a total of 6.5 tonnes of items from being sent to landfill.

[The NLWA is underspending. So put in resources, Clyde, that makes it 16,980 people.]

"Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of the North London Waste Authority, commented:

"There really is truth to the saying that one man's junk is another man's treasure! The Give and Take Days have proved a great success in getting people to think about whether someone else could provide a loving home for those 'classic' DVDs and CDs, those baby clothes the kids grew out of years ago, or the kitchen appliance you recently replaced.

It was great in these difficult economic times to see people coming together to help save each other a bit of money, while helping the environment by stopping such a large amount of perfectly usable items from being simply thrown away. We are especially thankful for the assistance of the 22 volunteers, who generously donated their time to help make the events a success."

"The Give & Take Days ran from 11am to 3pm. Visitors donated items they no longer needed between 11am and 12 noon, and then could take something they needed for free between 12 noon and 3pm. All electrical items donated were PAT-tested on the day, so that they could either be offered for re-use or recycled, as appropriate.

"Not only were the Give and Take Days a great day out for families, but some lucky residents also received the fantastic bonus of a £50 eco shopping voucher which they won after filling out a feedback form and entering a prize draw.

"The winners were:

• Michelle Moor, who attended one of the Islington events, and said:  

  "Give and Take Days are a wonderful idea. They give everyone in the local community the opportunity to offer a new home to things they may no longer use/need, but are still useful to other people. It's a great feeling to help the environment and the community just that little bit more."

• Shumi Ali, who attended the event at Hackney Wick Festival, and commented:  

  "My favourite part (of the day) was literally giving and receiving, and I also got some tips on reducing waste."

North London's seven borough councils got involved too, with officers attending events in their borough to provide information on council waste and recycling services and waste reduction advice.

"For further information on how you can donate your unwanted items for re-use or recycling, and for other tips on how to reduce your waste, visit the North London Waste Authority's website at http://www.nlwa.gov.uk/yourwaste."

Almost one million tonnes of waste is produced by households across the seven north London boroughs covered by the NLWA.

That’s a huge amount of waste which we need to dispose of. While recycling is a fantastic way to turn our rubbish into something useful again, preventing waste is even better. If we reduce the amount that we produce in the first place, and reuse things more than once, we also avoid the industrial processes involved in recycling, in turn reducing our carbon footprint.

Over the past three years, there has been a decline of about 4% in the amount of waste produced in north London. That’s great news, and demonstrates how residents are embracing the principles of ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’.

But we need to do more to make sure that by 2020 we are recycling 50% of household waste. [Why only 50% by 2020? 'Political will', Clyde, can drive that higher!]

Waste prevention plays a key role in sustainable waste management for:

• Environmental reasons: household waste is merely the final evidence of consumption which entails environmental footprints which are rarely sustainable
• Socio-economic reasons: production of waste appears to be the result of wasting natural resources and these resources are both limited and unequally distributed
• Financial reasons: reducing the quantities of waste produced means it should be possible to reduce the budget required for the collection, transportation and treatment of waste products
• Legal reasons: the European framework directive on waste requires national waste prevention programmes to be drawn up

The Waste Hierarchy has for some time provided the framework for managing waste locally, nationally, and at a European level, and has recently been updated in the 'Waste Framework Directive'. [It has also provided a pseudo-justification for building new-style incinerators, for use for the next thirty years.]

With your help, we plan to reduce rubbish in north London by up to 80,000 tonnes over the next two years. To find out how, please look at our Waste Prevention Plan. The plan sets out a series of specific actions required to deliver the strategic objectives for waste prevention, which are within the North London Joint Waste Strategy.

For more information about the composition of north London's waste, please see a copy of the Waste Composition Analysis Final Report.
 

Barnet - Britain's Oddest Borough (and this is only the Audit Committee)

Link to Mrs Angry's 'Broken Barnet'

"The auditors came to town ... At one point, Tory councillor Brian Schama was not ready for the meeting to move on.

"Mrs Angry rather likes Councillor Schama: partly because he always grins at her in an twinkling, Tory-amused way at meetings, and partly because he is old-school gentleman Tory, and not a boorish oaf, like most of the Conservative Barnet councillors. Call Mrs Angry a snob, but she likes her class enemies to be well-mannered, and know which knife to use at table.

"... Sitting behind Ms Pam Wharfe was a large grey elephant, rearing up on its hind-legs, and reducing Mr Paul Hughes to a frantic display of pen-waggling. As an auditor of some experience, Mrs Angry can tell you that this is code for:

"Help me - I do not want to be here, I wish I was somewhere else, and I wish I had become a train driver, instead of an auditor."

New Airport Planned at Kings Cross Station (or pick up your carrots)

Link to details on 'Darkest London' site

"Designed by architect Charles W. Glover, the new Central Airport for London has been presented as a model at the Institution of Civil Engineers. It will be built over the railway sidings just north of St Pancras.

"It is envisonaged that planes will approach down a new ‘Aerial Way’ above the Pentonville Road, landing on one of the half-mile concrete runways (which look like spokes on a cartwheel.)"

or maybe that is silly. so go to Kings Cross in your helicopter, for your carrots...

Link to British Pathe video

Wood Green Shopping Centre: "Would anyone miss you?"

(Click above to enlarge,
and for film web site)

"Nobody noticed when Joyce Vincent, 40, died in her bedsit above a shopping mall in North London in 2003.

"Her body wasn’t discovered for three years, surrounded by Christmas presents she had been wrapping, and with the TV still on. Newspaper reports offered few details of her life– not even a photograph.

"Interweaving interviews with imagined scenes from Joyce’s life, Dreams of a Life is an imaginative, powerful, multilayered quest, and is not only a portrait of Joyce, but a portrait of London in the eighties — the City, music, and race. It is a film about urban lives, contemporary life, and how, like Joyce, we are all different things to different people. It is about how little we may ever know each other, but nevertheless, how much we can love." 

In UK Cinemas from 16 December 2011.

Palace Gates Residents’ Association opposes Pinkham Way

Link to PGRA Facebook page

"We have worked closely with Pinkham Way Alliance for some time now, and support them all the way."

(Cecil B DeMille says "Cut" at the end)

BBC: "The road sign as design classic"

Link to BBC web site

"The Design Museum has added a motorway sign to its collection. So is British road signage a design classic?

"In the 1950s, road signs were a mess - a confusing and dangerous hotch potch of different symbols, colours and lettering. But more and more people were acquiring cars.

"... As the government set about creating a brave new world of motorways, Kinneir and Calvert were given the job of making signs that could be clearly read in a split second. Calvert, now 75, says they had to start from scratch."

The Independent: "The arms company, the oligarch and the ex-PM's sister-in-law: lobby firm's Wikipedia hit list"

Link to The Independent

"Wikipedia has now locked down ten user accounts that it believes are associated with computers owned by [PR company] Bell Pottinger, pending an investigation by the website's founder Jimmy Wales.

"When approached by the 'Bureau of Investigative Journalism', several companies denied having ever employed Bell Pottinger to manage their reputations, but did reveal that they had signed deals with other companies owned by its parent company Chime Communications.

"Standard Life, the pensions and insurance group, had its Wikipedia presence edited more than 12 times between November and December 2010. Barry Cameron, head of media at Standard Life, said it had hired Team Spirit, an advertising and marketing firm at Chime, and that the brief had included maintaining the company's Wikipedia profile.

"Lord Bell, chairman of Chime Communications, the owner of Bell Pottinger, said an internal review had been launched. On Wednesday the firm admitted it had used a number of accounts to change Wikipedia pages.

"Of the ten Wikipedia accounts suspended for being involved in suspected tampering by Bell Pottinger, two go to great lengths to give the impression of being real people.

" 'Biggleswiki' lists a number of personal details about himself on his user page. He claims that his name is David Biggles, and that he was born on 2 November 1979 in Hammersmith, London.

"He provides a selection of details, and claims that he met his girlfriend while living in Newcastle, but has since moved back to London. He writes:

"I currently work in engineering and really enjoy it. I get to travel around the world doing my job and have been to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, China, New Zealand and Russia.

"My interests include art, music and photography and I'm rubbish at all of them."

The Bureau has been unable to identify a 'David Biggles' who matches the above description. Searches of the electoral register yielded no results for 'David Biggles' anywhere in the UK. Bell Pottinger has since admitted that it used the Biggleswiki account."

No railway stories for ages, then two come along together...

(Link to the 'first Edmonton Green station')

Enfield Council scoops £850,000 rail station investment

"Enfield Council has been awarded an £850,000 grant by the government to part fund the construction of lifts at Edmonton Green station.

"The Council entered the bid as part of a consortium of organisations including Transport for London, National Express East Anglia and Network Rail, who will carry out the work. It is another example of the work being done by the Council and its partners to help regenerate Edmonton.

"The total cost of the lifts is estimated to be £1.45million with the remainder of the money coming from a variety of sources including section 106 agreements and funding from TfL.

"Enfield Council's Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Chris Bond, said: 

"These lifts will enable disabled people, those who have difficulty walking long distances, and parents with children to get to the station platform easily and with the minimum of fuss.

"This funding announcement is a tribute to team-work, and is a result of a number of organisations working together to make rail travel easier and more accessible to residents of this borough."

"The work is expected to be completed by 2014."

Evening Standard: "Thames Water 'spies' on supersewer protesters"

Link to Evening Standard

"Thames Water is using security guards with Home Office 'covert licences' to monitor critics of its supersewer, the Standard reveals today.

"It is also feared that security consultants are carrying out background checks on opponents.

"Campaigner Emma Dunsire said she 'felt very threatened' by a guard in plain clothes who was not wearing an ID badge who told her details about her life which she believes could only be gathered by surveillance."

Join Muswell Hill Sustainability Group for discounted goodies

Link to MHSG web site

"Efergy Elite energy monitors – we are selling for £25.

"Phillips LED GU10 bulbs (50 W equivalent) are at £15.

"We are subsidising these items, as we want people to reduce their energy use..."

Enfield Independent: "Littering prosecutions double in Enfield"

Link to web site

"THE number of people being prosecuted for littering on the streets of Enfield has doubled, new figures show. 

"And since April this year, 203 have so far been taken to court for littering in the borough."

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Enfield Council:

"Street Hawks swoop for new members"

Mrs Angry: Barnet's Brian Coleman (GLA, Barnet, NLWA) a liability?

Link to Mrs Angry:

Sec. of State Eric Pickles:

"who has every right to be!"

"The last few weeks have seen a growing sense of panic amongst the ranks of our Tory councillors, here in Broken Barnet.

"The unprecedented hostility from the public and the business community over the parking disaster, presided over with such impotent 'leadership' by Richard Cornelius*, has at last energised the back-benchers into some sort of mutinous thought process.

"The ultimate unthinkable thought is now slowly emerging like a rusty coiled spring from their clockwork brains:

"Is it time to get rid of Brian Coleman?"

"Yes, trembling Tory councillors of Broken Barnet, Mrs Angry is happy to confirm that it is indeed time. Mind your back, Brian."

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* Link to 'Barnet Times':

"'I don't know what I can do!' says Leader of Council"