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• Reference: 2002/0273-1
• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

The Draft Municipal Waste Strategy sets out a desire to create a single waste disposal authority for London. Bearing in mind many boroughs are already engaged in long-term waste contracts, how do you intend to create this single authority and how will it work? .

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

John - both you and Nicky, as the Mayor's Waste Advisor, have told us at the Environment Committee, that the use of wheeled bins by boroughs actually reduces the amount of recycling. Now, from the borough's point of view, wheeled bins are useful because it reduces their cost of collection, and from the householder's point of view, they're convenient. So, are you actually planning, as a part of your approach to waste, to be reducing wheeled bins in London, or are you going to accept them as a reality?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

You say you would hesitate if a new wheeled bin scheme was proposed. What form of activity would that hesitation take?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Well, either you think that wheeled bins are a bad thing and you're going to do something about it, or you're going to use them in a positive way, to help to improve people's recycling rates. I can think of several ways that you might actually modify a bin scheme to do that.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Can you envisage yourself turning down a contract because of the size of wheeled bins?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

So, it's just words then, really, is it?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

And how much have you received?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

I'm delighted to report, Chair, that the gunners across the river haven't quite found their range yet! My question is about education, because clearly if we're going to avoid the construction of incinerators, we need to change people's mind in London. And there is quite a lot of good on the ground work in individual boroughs, but there is a London-wide responsibility for an education campaign. Can Mr Duffy tell me what steps he's taking to ensure that's the most effective campaign that's possible?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

I don't intentionally want to fill the time, but I find those rather inadequate answers, and I put it to Mr Duffy that a problem with this was that the bids were rather inadequate and didn't show the sort of vision and leadership that London should be showing on waste minimisation and on education. A couple of sound-bites is not itself enough. It's got to be joined up with the boroughs. It's got to be an effective, driven campaign, with leadership from London. Do you think that London is offering the leadership on this that it should be?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Which is most likely? Is the Secretary of State amenable to making legislative changes, or will we need to do it ourselves?