Could central heating be powered by waste?

The 22 million tonnes of waste produced in London could be used to power two million homes and provide heat for up to 625,000 households, a new report has found.

According to the London Assembly Environment Committee, the capital's CO2 emissions could be reduced by 1.2 million tonnes, which would contribute to mayor Boris Johnson's 2025 target.

Indeed, the Where There's Muck There's Brass report has claimed that most of this waste is taken outside of London and buried in landfill sites, but this is no longer sustainable and that is time the city had an alternative strategy for managing its non-recyclable waste in the form of waste to energy conversion.

Could waste power central heating?

So could such a strategy one day see people powering their central heating and electrical gadgets using everyday rubbish?

Jenny Bates, London campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: "To relieve pressure on the world's finite resources and help tackle climate change we should be reusing and recycling as much as possible.

"We welcome plans to expand anaerobic digestion in the capital as this creates truly green energy from food waste."

Britons may wish to begin recycling and reusing their belongings more in line with this, which could see them using old vegetable and fruit waste to start a compost heap.

Furthermore, they could choose to breathe new life into old furniture, fixtures and fittings by applying a fresh lick of paint or sewing their own cushions to brighten up a sofa, while old clothes could be taken to charity shops.

Green education required

Energy efficiency could be another way of reducing a household's carbon emissions.

Indeed, Rebecca Atkinson, news editor at Moneywise, recently claimed that more education was required in order to teach people how to limit their home energy consumption and achieve cheaper gas and electricity bills.

She added that not only would this be beneficial to people's finances, it would also help the environment.