Isra-Mart srl : London divided over 'carrot or stick' approach to recycling

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Schemes rewarding or penalising residents for recycling may encourage a change in behaviour, but it is unclear whether this can be sustained in the longer term.

That is the view of the London Assembly's Environment Committee, whose Carrots and Sticks report warns against a single solution being applied to tackle the capital's woeful recycling rates.

The report comes the day after Lambeth Council in south London became the city's first local authority to offer rewards for recycling through the Recyclebank scheme.

Around 51,000 households will take place in a trial that will see recyclers rack up points that can be exchanged for vouchers redeemable in local shops, cinemas and leisure centres.

The council expects the scheme to improve its recycling rates, but the Committee's report warns that London's high proportion of flats, coupled with a transient population and a high number of households without internet access, could hamper its success.

Compulsory schemes backed up by fines for those who breach recycling rules also have drawbacks, the report said, noting that some people regard them as adversarial, while weight-based schemes may encourage residents to deliberately generate more waste.

The report said that fresh incentives may be needed if recycling rates stall - a trend already evident in the capital.

Recycling rates have peaked in recent years at around a third of the capital's waste, which is comfortably the lowest proportion in the country and still well below the Mayor's target of recycling 45 per cent of household waste by 2015 and 60 per cent by 2031.

Unless recycling rates increase or landfill rates fall, the capital could face a bill of £152m a year for landfill by 2014/15, the report concludes.

"It is very encouraging that rates have improved so considerably in recent years, but there is much more to be done to cut down on London's waste mountain," said Darren Johnson, deputy chairman of the Environment Committee and assembly member for the Green Party.

"The capital does face unique challenges and it is clear that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Whatever method boroughs use to reduce waste must result in long-term changes if we are to avoid the unwanted economic and environmental consequences of sending tonnes of rubbish to landfill every year."