Food waste collections go live in October

By council_spoke | Thursday, February 18, 2010, 13:11

Residents will be able to recycle their food waste weekly in secure, lockable containers from autumn 2010 following an £800,000 investment by Bath & North East Somerset Council to make the recycling service even more comprehensive and tackle the causes and effects of climate change.

Residents across the district will have food waste collections from October following £800,000 investment by Bath & North East Somerset Council

Food waste makes up a third of all household waste and gives off methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when it is sent to landfill. Although the Council has successfully encouraged thousands of people to compost at home and to reduce the amount of food waste we all produce to start with it wants to do more. These collections will help to tackle a wider range of food waste including inedible items such as bones and teabags as well as cooked food, which isn’t suitable for home composting.

Councillor Charles Gerrish, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, explained, “Food waste collections is an initiative that residents have told Bath & North East Somerset Council they want. The investment we are making now will prevent the Council paying high landfill taxes in the future. The more that we recycle, the less landfill tax the Council pays for disposing what waste is left. Food waste collections will increase recycling rates and help tackle the causes and effects of climate change. By providing lockable containers, residents should find the new service cleaner and more hygienic, particularly those who find their black sacks ripped open by seagulls or animals.”

Similar schemes operate successfully in local authorities nationwide. Across the country 80% of people support food waste collections and local residents have been asking when they can start to recycle their food waste. The new recycling collection vehicles operating since November can easily be modified by recycling contractor May Gurney to start collecting food waste from this autumn.

Simon Porter, Contract Manager at May Gurney, said, “From our experience of delivering similar services in other parts of the UK, we’ve discovered that when residents actually see how much food they throw away, they generate around 25% less waste, so save on their weekly food bills. And every tonne of food waste avoided is worth 4.5 tonnes of carbon emissions, which helps towards climate change too and of course, reduces the waste going to landfill.”

Residents can find out more by going to www.bathnes.gov.uk/foodwaste and in the meantime they can learn how to turn leftover food into a delicious meal by viewing a short video at www.bathnes.gov.uk/lovefoodhatewaste

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Comments

To Coopslad - The Council must send less waste to landfill if the whole community is to avoid significant landfill waste charges both now and in the future. Landfill Tax is going-up from £40 per tonne in now to £48 per tonne in 2010. We want less food going into black sacks and more into food waste containers to increase recycling rates. The Council is under direction from the Government to remove biogradable waste from landfill – this type of waste produces large quantities of greenhouse gases.
The logic is straightforward. If the Council doesn’t decrease the amount of waste going to landfill it will result in the need for either high increases in Council Tax or cuts in other services because we will be paying more landfill charges.

To Howard_C - Hundreds of local authorities across the country, including our neighbours in Somerset County Council and the Bristol City Council, have food waste collection containers, as well as containers for recycling and waste, and potentially also garden waste.
Bath & North East Somerset Council hopes that residents here will successfully tackle the same challenge experienced by millions of residents across the country so we are in a strong position to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and mitigate the issue covered above.

By council_spoke at 11:47 on 23/02/10
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@Howard_C Yep, me too. And I wonder will the food waste be collected same time as everything else?

By coopslad at 09:23 on 20/02/10
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I'm wondering where I'm going to store the increasing collection of boxes and bags for collecting various types of waste.

By Howard_C at 22:26 on 19/02/10
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@council_spoke What about the other point raised? That I don't remember being asked about whether I wanted to take part in this?
I know it's not the biggest issue in the world, but you're still asking people to changing their lifestyles considerably. And while it may help you reach green targets set by central Government, don't you think the residents of Midsomer Norton should have been asked what they think first, before presenting it as fact?

By coopslad at 14:58 on 19/02/10
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The new collections will be a lot cleaner and more hygienic. At present food waste is usually mixed with other waste in black sacks. This makes them prone to attack from pests such as animals and birds. The food waste collections should put an end to these problems. To start with, you will be given special compostable liners for you to seal your food waste in. You will also be given a lockable food bin to put your full liners in when you put it out for collection. Using the new lockable containers and liners should mean an end to problems such as odour, maggots and ripped bin bags.....and prevent those cats in the neighbourhood referred to by CarlaGale getting in.

By council_spoke at 14:13 on 19/02/10
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