London's rubbish could power 2m homes, report says

• London assembly study says capital produces enough waste to fill Canary Wharf skyscraper every eight days• Boris Johnson considering plans
Hélène Mulholland and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 October 2009 14.48 GMT
Boris Johnson is considering plans to convert rubbish into energy as part of plans to save at least £100m in refuse collection and disposal costs, it emerged today.
City Hall signalled the move in response to a report by the London assembly which found that the waste generated by Londoners could be used to generate enough electricity to power up to 2m homes and provide heat for 625,000 houses.
The capital produced around 22m tonnes of waste every year, the report found, enough to fill the largest skyscraper at Canary Wharf every eight days.
More than half of London's rubbish ends up in landfill, with only a fifth (22%) being recycled, according to research by the assembly's environment committee said.
Converting non-recyclable rubbish such as leftover food into energy, through methods that did not involve incineration, could reduce the amount sent to landfill – an increasingly expensive option as the tax on dumping waste in the ground is high and rising.
Creating gas from the rubbish which could be used for heating or generating electricity could also cut London's carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2m tonnes and reduce emissions of another greenhouse gas, methane, which is produced when waste breaks down in landfill, the report found.
The environment committee called on Johnson to take the lead in developing the technologies to convert energy from waste such as anaerobic digestion, gasification and pyrolysis.
The technologies face a number of barriers, including public opposition, difficulties obtaining planning consent and long-term existing contracts for rubbish that prevent potential companies obtaining waste material.
Johnson, who is chair of the London Waste and Recycling Board, is already considering the move to turn rubbish into energy as part of plans to minimise refuse that ends up either in landfill or incinerated, according to his office.
"The mayor wants Londoners to recycle more, send less waste to landfill and take advantage of the massive economic opportunities available to the capital if we start to manage our waste more efficiently.
"We know that currently 75% of London's household waste is either landfilled or incinerated, whilst around 90% of municipal waste could actually be reused, recycled or used to generate greener energy. By recycling as much as possible, and using the remaining waste to produce energy, we estimate London could save at least £100m in collection and disposal costs."
The Waste and Recycling Board has £84m to spend over the next three years to find new ways to deal with waste.
The mayor's draft waste strategy for London, due to be published later this year, will address many of the issues contained in today's report, a spokeswoman added.