Household food waste recycling starts in September

Household food waste recycling starts in September

Residents in Telford and Wrekin will get their first chance to choose to recycle their leftovers and kitchen waste with the introduction of a new, weekly food waste kerbside collection service.

The service, which is free, starts in September and means that, for the first time, householders across the borough will have a service dedicated to recycling food waste.

Food waste that is collected will be converted into energy and fertiliser, further helping to boost the borough’s recycling rates.

The service will be run by Veolia, Telford & Wrekin Council’s recycling and waste partner. As well as introducing a new food waste service, Veolia will also be re-routing some bin collection rounds from September to provide a more efficient service with a lower carbon footprint.

Each household will be given a kitchen caddy for their food waste, which comes with a supply of free biodegradable liners, as well as a larger outdoor caddy which can be presented at the kerbside every week.

Similar food services across the country have proved popular and have led to increases in recycling rates.

Steve Mitchell, Veolia’s West Midlands Director, said: “We are excited to introduce this new weekly food waste recycling service to residents as it will help us to create more resources from our rubbish. It will also encourage us, as a borough to think more about the food we throw away.

“We are hoping that residents will recycle as much as possible in their new caddies, including plate scrapings and food that’s gone past its ‘use by’ date.

“We’ve also been looking at the collection routes to see if we can improve efficiencies there. As a result there will be a collection day change for some households from September as we continue to ensure that we are offering an efficient and economic service.”

Councillor Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for recycling, said: “The kerbside recycling service has proved popular with residents and has boosted the amount recycled in the borough. Expanding our recycling collection service to include an optional food waste means we can recycle even more. Thank you to everyone who chooses to recycle, small changes really do make a huge difference. I also wanted to remind everyone of the opportunity to donate any unwanted food that is still perfectly fine to our local food banks.”

Householders can expect to have their new food caddies delivered from the middle of August onwards. They will receive a helpful user guide on how to make the best use of the new service along with a supply of caddy liners. They will also receive their annual calendars which will advise them of their bin collection day.