The £50 million London Recycling Fund was set up in late 2001 to help London’s waste authorities (the 33 boroughs and the four waste disposal groupings)reduce the amount of waste they produce and significantly improve their recycling rates. The brainchild of the Mayor of London, supported by the former Association of London Government (ALG) (1) and London Waste Action (LWA), the principal funding was provided by DEFRA, supported by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the London Development Agency (LDA). |
During 2002-06 the Fund awarded 134 grants to London waste authorities and small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs). It developed successful partnerships with the private, public and community sectors, levering an additional £143 million of funding. Designed to be easily accessible, it provided technical support on best practice and raised both the level of expertise and the achievement of targets across the London boroughs and waste authorities. The effectiveness of this significant level of investment has demonstrated both the need for and the benefits of a
strategic approach to managing the capital’s waste.
The strengths behind the Fund’s delivery strategy
This was achieved by a small, skilled implementation team, whose members were drawn from the private, public and community sectors with backgrounds in waste management and recycling, business development and project management. The team worked closely with the London waste authorities and their potential private sector partners, to complement the sometimes limited resources of the authorities and the community sector. The regular review process kept projects on track, on budget and achieving Best Value.
Applications were independently evaluated against published criteria and decisions were taken through an open and transparent process, involving a broad based stakeholder group set up specifically for this purpose.
Note (1) The Association of London Government (ALG) changed its name to “London Councils” on 1st October 2006.
Supported by:
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Key aims
The key aims of the Fund were to:
- encourage a more strategic approach to recycling in
London
- stimulate additional investment through public and
private partnerships
- develop and promote best practice
- develop extra capacity in waste authorities where
improved performance was needed
- help waste authorities with the timely delivery of
their projects
- support national Government priorities.
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