South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 21/10/2014

South Gloucestershire residents can now use ordinary plastic bags to line their food recycling caddies, thanks to new mechanical sorting techniques that separate the bags from food waste.

It is hoped that the small change will help promote a big increase in food recycling habits, by making it easier and cleaner to use kitchen caddies.

About a fifth of the waste placed in domestic black bins is food that could be recycled and the council has launched a new campaign to remind residents of the benefits of recycling.

Composting or recycling food waste not only helps the environment but also saves taxpayers’ money, which can help protect front line services at a time of increasing pressure on local authority budgets.

It costs an extra £57,000 to dispose of the 1,000 tonnes of food waste thrown away in South Gloucestershire every month.

Recycling food waste using domestic caddies ensures that it is sent to an anaerobic digestion plant which converts it into fertilizer and electricity.

Chair of the council’s Communities Committee Cllr Claire Young said: “We know that some people have reservations about using the food caddy. Hopefully this small change in approach will help encourage more people to recycle.

“As the current campaign notes, food waste recycling can save significant amounts of taxpayers’ money as well as benefiting the environment.”

Further information is available at www.southglos.gov.uk/foodrecycling and residents can also find out more at roadshows on the following dates.

• Waitrose Chipping Sodbury, 25 October, 8am to 4pm
• Sainsbury’s Emersons Green, 27 October, 9am to 6pm
• Co-op Kingswood, 29 October, 9am to 4pm
• ASDA Filton, 30 October, 9am to 4pm
• Yate Town Centre, 31 October, 9am to 4pm
• Willow Brook Centre, 1 November, 10am to 5pm
• Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, 3 November, 9am to 6.30pm