Merton is tackling its waste cutting targets by joining forces with three neighbouring London boroughs.

Croydon, Merton and Sutton and Kingston have established the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) to help each other to bring about a sustained reduction in the amount of household waste being sent to landfill.

The four boroughs have a combined population of more than 850,000 which produced 483,000 tonnes of waste last year.

This is predicted to rise to 668,000 tonnes by 2020, of which only 85,000 tonnes can go to landfill.

Councillor Tariq Ahmad, Merton Council cabinet member for environment and traffic management, said: "There is little doubt that this is one of the biggest challenges that local authorities have ever faced.

"We see working with neighbouring boroughs as the best way forward from an economic and strategic point of view.

"With the help and support of our residents, we are confident that the SLWP will be successful in diverting significant amounts of waste from landfill, allowing us to meet our statutory obligations and make a positive contribution to the environment."

The aim is to procure and run a joint contract through the SLWP that will cover the treatment of waste, the management of the four boroughs' household reuse and recycling centres, the transport of residual waste to landfill and the management of the landfill site itself.

The contract will not include the kerbside collection of refuse and recycling from households, which will continue to be managed by the boroughs individually.

By reshaping their services together, the four boroughs hope to attract more competitive quotes from contractors and reduce administration and monitoring costs by sharing resources.

Coun Ahmad added: "Failure is not an option as the financial penalties of not meeting our landfill allowance targets could have a major impact on the boroughs' budgets, putting pressure on other front-line services and on council tax."