Food for thought as new waste collections begin

10 February 2010

Please note: these pages contain archived information. Whilst the details were correct when first published, they may since have 'aged' and some of the information could be out-of-date. For this reason, links in the content of archive news stories have been disabled.

Residents from across Woking Borough will soon be able to recycle their food waste through a new kerbside collection instead of sending it to landfill.

Over the coming weeks, residents will receive a food waste collection starter kit, delivered to their doorstep. The kit will contain one silver seven litre-kitchen caddy, one green 23-litre collection bin, a roll of compostable liners to get householders started, an address label for the green collection bin and a leaflet explaining how to recycle their food waste in three simple steps. Residents can start using their new containers as soon as they receive them.

At present, approximately 40% of the Borough's non-recyclable waste is made up of unwanted or left-over food. When this biodegradable waste is sent to landfill, it cannot decompose naturally and causes the greenhouse gas, methane, to be released, which is 21 times more harmful than carbon dioxide - a contributing factor to global warming. By taking part in the scheme, households will be directly helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as helping the Council and Borough residents to save money by avoiding landfill taxes and potential fines for sending biodegradable waste to landfill.

Householders can follow three simple steps to recycle their food waste.

Step 1

Place all food waste, such as vegetable peelings, meat, bones, fish or left-over food in the silver caddy.

Step 2

When necessary, empty the contents of the silver caddy into the green collection bin.

Step 3

Each week, present the green collection bin at the boundary of the property by 6.30am on the same day as general waste or recycling collections.

Items which can be disposed of through the kerbside collections scheme include bread and pastries, coffee grounds, tea leaves and tea bags, dairy products (except milk), eggs (including shells), fish (including shellfish), fruit and vegetables, meat (including bones) and any left-over food.

Items which cannot be disposed of include dead flowers, disposable nappies, food packaging or plastic bags, green garden waste, liquids (including oil and fats), pet litter, animal bedding or faeces, or any other material that is not food waste.

The food waste will be collected by specially modified refuse vehicles that feature two separate compartments. This enables the same vehicle to collect residual waste and mixed dry recyclable materials on alternate weeks, while collecting food waste on a weekly basis. It will then be taken to composting plants in the South East, where it is turned into compost or agricultural fertilizer.

Cllr Beryl Hunwicks, Woking Borough Council's Portfolio Holder for Waste and Recycling, said: "In the UK, we throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food waste per year - that's a staggering amount of biodegradable waste that could be recycled, which should give us all food for thought. By increasing what local residents can recycle at the kerbside, we can all help reduce what we send to landfill, while helping the Borough to reach its recycling target of 70%."

Unfortunately, properties that share facilities or have limited storage space will not be able to participate in the new scheme, as the collection system is not suitable. However, the Council is committed to making food waste collections available to every household. By continuing to develop alternative collection systems for these properties, it hopes to offer this service in the future. Residents who wish to assist in the development of food waste collections in their neighbourhood, can register their interest at www.woking.gov.uk/foodwaste

For helpful hints and tip on ways residents can reduce their food wastage, please visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com Residents that wish to find out more about the new food waste collection service should visit www.woking.gov.uk/foodwaste or call Woking Borough Council on 01483 755855.