Householders across South Kesteven should start filling their food waste recycling caddies from this weekend, ahead of the first collections starting Monday 13th April.
The message comes from South Kesteven District Council, which is running a new collection service across the district.
Anyone without food waste recycling caddies should contact the council for a set via the online form here: https://tinyurl.com/missingcaddy
Caddy packs have been delivered to more than 60,000 properties, which include the orange-lidded 23-litre outdoor and a 5-litre indoor caddy, along with a starter pack of bags and information.
The new food waste collections are weekly, on the same day as the regular wheelie bin collections, using a dedicated specialist lorry.
Cllr Rhys Baker, SKDC Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, said: “This national initiative has been a long time coming and we are looking forward to helping residents make the most of it.
“The project is more complex than it sounds – it is not just about getting caddy packs to 60,000 properties but is also about upgrading facilities, training staff, purchasing vehicles and linking up these additional routes with our existing service.
“We know these projects prove successful and we have learned from areas that have had food waste recycling for many years. It will be a big change at first, but I am confident residents will welcome it.
“One of the biggest benefits is taking a large amount of waste out of the black bin in the summer, rather than it sitting there for two weeks.
“Weekly food waste recycling collection is going to be efficient and widely welcomed and will soon become part of the normal household routine.
“My message to householders is to give it a go. People will be amazed at how much space it frees up in their residual black waste bin.
“The service will begin on Monday 13th April – that's the day the first food waste collection will happen, on the day of your normal bin collection, whichever bin is due that day. Other districts may have different start dates to ours, but we are now ready to begin.”
SKDC advises that home composting, for those who are able to do so, is recommended in the first instance.
The council is arranging bespoke solutions for blocks of flats, flats over shops or households with limited space for a caddy.
As part of a national Government mandate under new 'Simpler Recycling' legislation (Environment Act 2021), SKDC is required to offer all households the opportunity to separate food waste from residual waste.
All people need to do is empty any food waste into the new kitchen caddy. When this is full, it simply needs emptying into the new outside food waste recycling caddy ready for weekly collection. If residents want to empty straight into their outside caddy and not use the indoor one, that is fine too.
Lots of people are surprised by how much food waste they produce. Using a food waste caddy often highlights how much is thrown away. Even small amounts of food waste add up, such as a banana skin, tea bags, coffee grinds, melon peel and so on.
There’s no need to be concerned about wild animals being attracted to either food waste caddy. They have lockable handles.
By recycling food waste in this new way, the amount of waste that ends up at the Lincolnshire Energy from Waste disposal facility will be cut. This will make things more efficient by reducing moisture hidden in the food that makes waste harder to burn.
Separated food waste will be sent to an anaerobic digestion facility in Lincolnshire where it will be turned into fertiliser for agriculture and biogas to generate renewable electricity for homes.
Anaerobic digestion uses microorganisms to break down food waste. It happens in an enclosed system, without oxygen. As the waste breaks down it gives off methane, which is collected and converted into biogas and used to generate electricity, heat or transport fuels. It also creates nutrient-rich ‘digestate’ that can be used as fertiliser.