North London residents are being asked to sign and promulgate a petition calling for a complete rethink about planning for the future of waste processing and disposal across the area. The petition, organised by the Pinkham Way Alliance (PWA), calls on the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) to abandon its current plans to let out a 30-year contract for the handling of waste from seven North London boroughs and instead develop a completely revised waste plan which would not bind the boroughs to an expensive long-term contract, would be designed to reflect the real evolving requirements for waste processing and would have a much smaller negative impact on the environment.
The Alliance argues that the contract which the NLWA is planning to let would not be competitive (there is only one preferred bidder) and would bind the boroughs to pay over a period of 30 years for processing of quantities and types of waste that will almost certainly not be required. It urgest the NLWA to go back to the seven boroughs and determine their actual requirements, which should then be met through an incremental programme of building facilities, rather than by constructing a large facility at the outset which will never actually be fully used.
The arguments for a fresh start are set out in greater detail on the PWA website, which also contains a considerable amount of information about the history of this controversial project.
Members of the public can access the petition at this link. They can sign online, but are encouraged to print out a petition kit and collect additional signatures from other people that they know.
Earlier reporting about these issues can be found on the Pinkham Way and North London Waste Plan pages of this website.