Lift off for food waste collection - good response from residents

With the Royal Borough's new food waste collection service starting on Monday of this week, signs are that it is already proving a hit.

Early estimations suggest that 40% of homes on the collection rounds put out their caddies for pick up on the first day - and Cllr Phill Bicknell said he is confident that participation will grow quickly as people get used to the service.

Cllr Bicknell, cabinet member for highways, transport and environment, said: "The food waste caddies are completely new to the borough and we are delighted that the first day showed a really positive participation rate. This bodes well for the future as residents begin to appreciate how easy it is to recycle their vegetable peelings and food scraps - and help the council make a real dent in the cost of getting rid of our waste. The more we recycle the more benefit it is to council taxpayers and our environment."

Food makes up more than a third of the waste sent to expensive and environmentally-unfriendly landfill sites so the caddies provide a convenient way of reducing this. All food waste - including cooked food, dairy, meat and bones - can be put in the caddies, which are emptied with the normal weekly waste and recycling collections.

Every household has been provided with a 23-litre caddy to go outside and a 7-litre caddy for use in the kitchen. Leaflets have also been distributed explaining how the scheme works, what to put into the caddy and other useful information.

The waste is taken to a state-of-the-art digester plant where it is turned into compost for local farms and is used to create enough electricity to potentially power 4,200 homes saving just over 10,000 tonnes of carbon.

Further details are available at http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/wm_food_waste.htm or by calling 01628 683801.

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