10 signatures reached
To: Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
North London Waste Authority - Silicone Recycling
The North London Waste Authority's stance on recycling silicone is "If you want to get rid of something that's made from silicone, and it's in good condition, try giving it away... If the item is not in good enough condition to be reused by someone else, it should go in your general waste bin because it is not possible to recycle silicone in north London."
Neither the East London Waste Authority website, nor the South London Waste Partnership website, mention silicone; The West London Waste Authority's brief mention of it is in a blog about re-usable straws...
All in all, unsatisfactory.
Silicone is used in transport, construction, industry, electronics, energy, healthcare, and in the production of various personal and household items, and its use is likely to increase which would not be a problem if damaged items and scraps were recycled;
"...the process for silicone recycling involves grinding or tearing the silicone down and pouring the shredded silicone granules into a prepared mold. Fresh silicone is then added, which helps the old particles adhere to one another. The final product is then used to make cooking molds, shredded playground mulch, or water-resistant insulation and powders for things like solar panels."
~ Andrew Krosofsky
https://www.greenmatters.com/p/is-silicone-recyclable
"...the use of silicon waste could mark a significant impact on the economics of road construction industry for sustainable infrastructure development by saving bitumen, which is a costly resource."
~ Syyed Adnan Raheel Shah
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332753383
Why is this important?
As a Londoner doing my best to care for the earth and its non-human inhabitants, I would really appreciate you making sure that:
• there is at least one silicone recycling centre in London
• every borough council will provide residents with at least one silicone recycling bin, the contents of which they may deliver to the above-mentioned recycling centre.
The use of such facilities would not only lead to a reduction in both waste and related clean-up operations, and an increase in the availability of a durable resource, but would set a good example to other cities, both in the UK and abroad.
Best wishes, the undersigned.
