Businesses are helping to reduce London's waste under a procurement initiative based on green purchasing, it has emerged.
Increased usage of recycled products by participating organisations saved around 475,000 tonnes of waste from being dumped on landfill sites.
Supported by London-based businesses and provided with £3 million worth of funding from the London Development Agency, the green purchasing scheme is made up of 33 boroughs from the capital and has over 500 members.
Announced at the 2007 Mayor of London's Green Procurement Code awards this week, some £181 million was spent by participating members on recycled products in 2006, which included 1.3 million reams of recycled paper and 40,500 items of recycled furniture.
Deputy mayor of London Nicky Gavron commented that registered organisations were also encouraging customers and supply chains to follow their lead in implementing green procurement policies to reduce their businesses' environmental impact.
"This year alone the total purchase of recycled products saved 216,000 tonnes of [carbon dioxide] – an increase of 40,000 tonnes on the previous year," he said.
The mayor of London's procurement code was launched in 2001 and has so far diverted 1.3 million tonnes of waste from going to landfill sites, according to its website.
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