Telford and Wrekin council announced back in June that it would be rolling out weekly food waste collections to residents from September as part of efforts to boost the council’s 43% recycling rate. As part of this, they had food caddies manufactured by Straight Ltd that come with free biodegradable liners, as well as a larger outdoor caddy which can be presented at the curbside every week, all sent to every one of its 167,000 residents in August, ready for the move.
Councilor Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for recycling, added:
The curbside 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.
The service is being delivered by Veolia, the council’s waste provider who picks up, then delivers the food waste for recycling at the West Birmingham AD Facility (Roundhill) in Stourbridge.
Commenting on the new service, 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’ve also been looking at the collection routes to see if we can improve efficiencies there.
Just recently a new announcement has been made regarding the outcome of the first week of this service and it was a grand success! Nearly 87 tons of food waste was collected from around Telford & Wrekin potentially making it one of the most successful launches in the country.
Councilor Overton said:
Big wow – this is a staggering amount. I had a quick Google to see how other authorities have done during their first week, and found that Wokingham reported collecting 66 tons and Stroud reported collecting 70 tons. Collecting almost 87 tons shows just how many people in Telford & Wrekin are keen to recycle more.
You may be wondering, ‘how does food waste get recycled?’ It gets turned into something useful! All the food waste collected is taken to an anaerobic digester where it is digested and turned into energy to power homes and businesses. Even the waste product from this process is recycled again – it goes on to be used as a fertilizer for farmland.
Mitchell said:
Hearing how much food waste has been collected in the first few days is fantastic and makes it all worthwhile. I urge everyone who hasn’t used their caddy yet to join us. The more food waste we can recycle the better for the environment.
