South Kesteven council is set to trial a new food waste recycling scheme, which is the first of its kind in Lincolnshire, the authority says.
The 12-month trial, commencing on June 4, will collect food waste from 4,700 selected homes in Grantham, Stamford, Bourne, The Deepings and several villages.
South Kesteven will trial a food waste recycling scheme for 12 months, starting in June
The trial is being run by the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership and will be funded by Lincolnshire county council, with South Kesteven district council (SKDC) volunteering to be the first district in the county to gauge participation rates of this potential new service.
LCC made an initial payment of £150,015 to cover the collection service for 12 months. The county council said it expects an average of around 1.3kg of food waste being collected per property over the period of the pilot, amounting to a possible 320 tonnes per annum.
Food waste
Food waste is currently collected with other non-recyclable rubbish in black bins. All of this waste is processed together at an energy from waste facility at North Hykeham, operated by FCC Environment.
The authority said when food waste is collected separately, it can be processed in a “less expensive and more environmentally-friendly way”.
Following the introduction of the service, food waste will be sent to an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility operated by Hemswell Biogas, near Gainsborough. The AD plant has capacity to generate 3.6 megawatts of power, which is sufficient to supply up to 4,000 homes or 10,000 people, the company reports.
The service will help households see and reduce the amount of food they waste, which is estimated to cost the average family £700 per tear, SKDC said. It will also help reduce the amount of recycling that is rejected due to contamination by food waste.
Householders on the trial will be provided will a small, silver caddy-style bin for their kitchen, and a larger silver box with a locking lid, which can be kept outside. They will be able to dispose of uneaten food and food waste into the small caddy, which will then be emptied into the outside container.
Bread, meat, fish, peelings, dairy products, eggs shells, teabags, plate scrapings and any food past its used-by date will all be accepted under the scheme. Waste from the new bins will be collected each week, alongside both residual waste and recycling.
‘Positive first’
Food waste will be sent to an AD facility operated by Hemswell Biogas, near Gainsborough
Commenting on the launch of the trial, Cllr Dr Peter Moseley, SKDC cabinet member for environment, said: “Many residents are already enthusiastic recyclers and I am sure they will embrace this trial to see where it can take us.
“Councils across Lincolnshire are looking at different ways to meet waste and recycling challenges – and food waste collections may become a permanent part of this, as they are in other parts of the country. This is a positive first for SKDC and for the county as we explore how our food waste could be dealt with in a better way.”
Cllr Eddy Poll, Lincolnshire county council’s executive member for commercial and environmental management, added: “The county council is very pleased to be working as part of the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership to fund this very important trial.
“We need as many residents as possible to take part and help us gather the information we need so we can better manage our waste and recycling strategy for the future.”
SKDC will be running drop-in sessions for residents to show them the new bins and explain the service – with information online and mailed to people’s homes to keep them up-to-date.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
