More than 80 tonnes of food was collected from households across Stafford Borough during the first few days of a new weekly service.

The food waste service got underway last Monday (13th) as part of a government initiative. The national move is aimed at increasing the amount of food households across the country currently recycle.

Bin crews were even sent out on Saturday because of the volume of food being recycled by local people.  

The food waste will go to an ‘anaerobic digestion’ plant to be converted into energy and the digestate produced used in agriculture to improve soil.  

Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Ian Fordham, said: “This is the biggest change to household recycling across our borough in more than a decade – and the evidence from the first week suggests residents are supporting it.

“Obviously rolling out a national initiative across the whole country has made this extremely challenging with local authorities competing to have new vehicles and containers ready to deliver the service – so I can understand how other councils have not been able to do this within the government timescales.”

Around 60,000 properties across the borough have received two new containers for their leftover food - a small internal seven-litre kitchen caddy, a larger 23-litre external kerbside caddy, and a roll of liners - along with detailed instructions of how the new service will work.

The kerbside caddy is collected alongside the green, blue and brown bins – but at a different time of the day, and in a different vehicle.

Among the items that can go in the new caddies are:  

• Fruit and vegetables - including peelings.
• Fish, meat and bones.
• Tea bags and coffee grounds.
• Eggs and dairy products.

The caddies cannot be used for liquids, oils or fats, garden waste or food packaging.

Councillor Fordham added: “There is no additional charge to our residents for the new equipment or the service as this has been funded by central government.”

See more information on the new service at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/food-waste 

Press Release No 6287