Policy information sourced from The London Plan 2021

SI 7 Reducing waste and supporting the circular economy

Resource conservation, waste reduction, increases in material re-use and recycling, and reductions in waste going for disposal will be achieved by the Mayor, waste planning authorities and industry working in collaboration to:

  • promote a more circular economy that improves resource efficiency and innovation to keep products and materials at their highest use for as long as possible
  • encourage waste minimisation and waste prevention through the reuse of materials and using fewer resources in the production and distribution of products
  • ensure that there is zero biodegradable or recyclable waste to landfill by 2026 
  • meet or exceed the municipal waste recycling target of 65 per cent by 2030
  • meet or exceed the targets for each of the following waste and material streams:
    • construction and demolition – 95 per cent reuse/recycling/recovery
    • excavation – 95 per cent beneficial use
  • design developments with adequate, flexible, and easily accessible storage space and collection systems that support, as a minimum, the separate collection of dry recyclables (at least card, paper, mixed plastics, metals, glass) and food.

Referable applications should promote circular economy outcomes and aim to be net zero-waste. A Circular Economy Statement should be submitted, to demonstrate:

  • how all materials arising from demolition and remediation works will be re-used and/or recycled
  • how the proposal’s design and construction will reduce material demands and enable building materials, components and products to be disassembled and re-used at the end of their useful life
  • opportunities for managing as much waste as possible on site
  • adequate and easily accessible storage space and collection systems to support recycling and re-use
  • how much waste the proposal is expected to generate, and how and where the waste will be managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy
  • how performance will be monitored and reported.

Development Plans that apply circular economy principles and set local lower thresholds for the application of Circular Economy Statements for development proposals are supported.

For more information please see The London Plan 2021