Council criticised for "mealy-mouthed" excuses on recycling cartons (Westminster and City of London Liberal Democrats)

Westminster and City of London Liberal Democrats <info@westminsterlibdems.org.uk>

Council criticised for "mealy-mouthed" excuses on recycling cartons

April 1, 2007 6:17 PM

Abbey Road by-election candidate Mark Blackburn recycling

Westminster must do far better at recycling

Westminster must start recycling tetrapak drinks cartons and stop coming up with "mealy-mouthed" excuses to avoid it, according to local Liberal Democrats.

Explaining, Mark Blackburn , the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Council by-election in Westminster's Abbey Road ward on Thursday 3 May, said:

"The current spring edition of the Council's 'Recycle This' newsletter is being delivered to residents right now. In it, the Council states that these cartons 'can't be easily recycled'. It suggests that anyone wanting to recycle their tetrapak drinks cartons post them, but without even stating the address they need to be sent to!"

"Despite their assertions however a survey conducted two years ago now revealed that even then six London councils, like LibDem-run Kingston-upon-Thames, were already recycling these very cartons. What is more, a further 24 London councils were interested in following suit.

"Only Westminster and two other London councils, Greenwich and Lewisham, did not recycle drinks cartons and declared themselves to have no interest in recycling them.

"The Westminster LibDems called on the Council to start recycling drinks cartons almost eight months ago in August 2006, but all we get is mealy-mouthed excuses. The Council's recycling record is deeply underwhelming and they must work a lot harder than they are. Action is needed now."

Mark also pointed out that, following earlier LibDem criticism, the Council recycling leaflet no longer boasts of transporting some of Westminster's recycling waste 6,000 miles to China.

He said, "That the councillors have been sending waste halfway around the world is almost surreal. The Tories have been in power here for decades and need a shock to wake them up. Voting Liberal Democrat in the Abbey Road ward by-election on 3rd May will do just that."