The Environment, Climate and Transport Scrutiny Committee met to review the draft of a new Joint Waste Strategy for North London. The committee was also scheduled to discuss two ongoing projects being run by the Council, named Islington in Bloom and Nature Neighbourhoods.

North London Waste Authority - Joint Waste Strategy

The committee was scheduled to review the draft of the new North London Waste Authority ¹ Joint Waste Strategy. The strategy is being jointly developed by the NLWA and seven London boroughs. It sets out how the authorities will work together to manage waste in North London for the next fifteen years.

The draft strategy identifies four strategic priorities:

1. Supporting a reduction in waste by promoting prevention, repair and reuse.
2. Improving and maximising recycling.
3. Managing unavoidable waste as effectively and environmentally-friendly as possible.
4. Delivering collaborative, community-focused services which provide value for money and maximise social value.

The report notes that only system-wide change will reduce waste at source and drive the nation towards a more circular economy and that the eight authorities are explicit in their demand for greater leadership from government to create the right economic and social conditions for a circular economy. The report sets out a series of actions that the authorities will take under each of the four priorities. The report also includes a section on targets and monitoring which includes commitments to report data on total waste per person and residual waste per person to monitor our overall progress on waste reduction.

The committee was scheduled to review the draft strategy and to ask questions about the plans.

Nature Neighbourhoods

The committee received a presentation about the Council's Nature Neighbourhoods project. The project is a partnership between Octopus Community Network ² and the Ecology Centre. Nature Neighbourhoods is a national project coordinated by the RSPB, the National Trust and WWF. The project is intended to support community action for climate and nature in local areas. The presentation outlines the project's vision and strategic approach. The presentation describes a “Nature Neighbourhood” walk and talk event which began at the Octopus Community Plant Nursery in Tufnell Park and concluded with a workshop at the Whittington Park Community Centre. The presentation does not say when the walk and talk event took place.

Islington in Bloom

The committee was scheduled to discuss the Islington in Bloom project. No report was prepared for the meeting, so it is not known what was scheduled to be discussed. This was the first time the project had been discussed by the committee. The project was added to the committee’s workplan at its meeting on 29 July 2024 (ECT Workplan 2024-25).