From late January 2012, a new service will be rolled out to all households that will allow you to recycle your food scraps.
Collections for some households will begin w/c January 23, 2012.
You will receive an indoor caddy for collecting food scraps in the kitchen and a small bin to empty the caddy into for the weekly food waste collection. The food waste collected will be recycled and used to generate electricity.
You can recycle raw and cooked food. If you want to, you can use newspaper to line the caddy to keep it clean. The food waste bin also locks shut to avoid any spillages and to stop animals getting into it.
You will receive your new caddy and bin a week before food waste collections begin. Weekly collections will be gradually phased in between late January and March.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will food waste collections start?
A: The service will begin on 23 January 2011. It will take around nine weeks for the collections to be rolled out to every home across the area.
Q: How will I know when it will start?
A: A week before your service is due to start you will receive your food waste caddies.
The service will start one week later. For example, if you receive your caddies on Tuesday 31 January, your first collection of food waste will be on Tuesday 7 February.
Q: What day will my collection take place?
A: The collection will take place on the same day as your waste and recycling bins and boxes are collected. You can put out food waste for collection EVERY week.
Q: How will I collect the food waste?
A: You will receive two containers, a small caddy for collecting the food waste in your kitchen, and a larger caddy for storage outside. You tip the waste from the small caddy into the larger, outdoor bin. This bin will lock shut to prevent spillage.
Q: What types of food waste can be put into the caddy?
A: All leftover raw and cooked foods, including veg peelings, out of date food, plate scrapings, solid fats, meat and fish bones. Please do NOT put any liquids in the caddy.
Q: I compost my fruit and vegetable peelings, should I stop?
A: No, please continue to use your compost bin. You can use the food waste collection service for other types of food waste that you can’t compost such as meat, fish and leftovers.
Q: I don’t want to recycle my food waste, do I have to use the service?
A: No, but we hope that you will give it a go. It’s an important way to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
Q: What are the size of the new bins?
A: The small one has a capacity of 5 litres and the large one is 23 litres.
Q: Can I line my food waste caddy?
A: Yes, we won’t be providing any liners but you can line the caddy with a single sheet of newspaper or special, compostable bags that are available to buy at some supermarkets and online. Please do NOT use plastic bags as we will not be able to collect your food waste if you do.
**How to line your caddy with newspaper**
Q: Will the food in my caddy smell?
A: Not if you empty your food caddy regularly into the outside container. Your outdoor caddy will have a lockable lid, which will contain smells and stop vermin getting in.
Q: How will the food waste be collected?
A: There are new recycling vehicles that have a sealed compartment on the front. The food waste bin will be collected at the same time as your boxes for recycling.
