Zero waste legacy 'unlikely to be achieved at London Olympics'

Targets laid out in the London 2012 sustainability strategy are unlikely to be achieved at the London Olympics, according to a review, which found the zero waste legacy in East London is unlikely to be met.

The ‘Towards a One Planet Olympics Revisited’ report has been published in a collaborative effort between BioRegional and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The two groups found that the waste management goals laid out by the Olympic Delivery Authority’s (ODA) and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games’ (LOCOG) are unlikely to be met, seven years on from when the report was first published.

However, the report does note that the reuse and recycling targets for the demolition and building phases of the Olympic Park 'substantially exceeded' targets. The problem over other targets seems to have arisen because there has been a low level of engagement with other organisations outside of the Olympic Park, as well as a focus on recycling rather than reuse during the building phase.

The report states: "On the one hand, there has been a huge success in delivering against an ambitious waste strategy; all the core targets are either achieved or on track. On the other hand the wider opportunity, and stated ambition, to be a catalyst for far wider changes has been missed."

In 2005, ODA and LOCOG outlined five legacy targets, which included a zero waste policy, increased market for recycled products, training and job opportunities locally in (re)manufacturing, local and sustainable materials supply chains maintained and a  'green' business hub.

Commenting on whether the targets will be met, the report states: "We are not confident that any of these promises will be met, certainly not in time for the Games, or in legacy. What all these have in common is that they relate to activities happening outside of the Olympic Park and would have required a higher level of engagement with local reuse networks and other appropriate organisations."

Posted by Joseph Hutton