Food For Thought As Council Launches Food Waste Campaign

Caerphilly county borough residents will receive a visit from a recycling advisor representing Caerphilly County Borough Council over the coming weeks, as part of a new campaign aimed at encouraging more households to participate in the weekly food waste recycling scheme. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Throughout May this year, the council’s waste management team carried out a monitoring exercise of 7,000 randomly selected properties to monitor participation in the food waste recycling scheme. Overall, the participation rate was approximately 38%, so officers have developed a campaign with the aim of working with residents to increase this figure. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The first stage of the ‘Is yours a food waste sin bin?’ campaign will involve residents receiving a door step visit from a trained officer representing the council. These visits will begin this week and continue throughout August and September. All officers will have clearly marked identification badges. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services said, “We know that while the majority of residents participate in the brown bin recycling scheme, less than half take part in the weekly food waste collection scheme. We estimate that close to 7,000 tonnes of food waste is currently being placed in green general waste bins and that if every household participated in recycling food waste, the council could save nearly £200,000 a year which could go towards protecting other frontline services”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

He continued, “We provide food waste caddies to all households free of charge, and I really hope through this campaign residents will see just how easy it is to participate in the food waste recycling scheme. Their contribution really will make a huge difference, and help ensure that Caerphilly continues to be among the best performing councils in Wales when it comes to recycling”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Welsh Government has set ambitious targets which require councils to recycle at least 64% of all waste collected by 2019/20 and 70% by 2024/25. Failure to do so could lead to significant fines being imposed of up to £1 million. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The ‘Is yours a food waste sin bin?’ campaign is an extension of the council’s successful ‘Is yours a sin bin?’ initiative, which encourages residents to recycle more and ensure they place items in the correct bin in order to avoid contamination. This campaign played a key role in Caerphilly County Borough Council increasing the amount of waste that it recycled, reused or composed by a huge 13% during the last three months of 2015, compared with the same period the year before. This rise, from 51% to 64% was the largest rise in Wales over this period. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

To request a free food waste caddy or to check your food waste collection day, please call the team on 01443 866533 or visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk. Recycling advisors will also have food caddies available during their door step visits. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​