Ghoulish Food Waste Wanted In Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf is home of a pioneering dedicated food waste recycling plant in Llwydcoed, which is ready to gobble up all your ghoulish leftovers and turn them in to enough green electricity to power 1,500 homes.
As Halloween approaches residents are being urged to ‘go green’ and fill their green bins with all their ghastly left-overs instead of sending it to rot in landfill.
Did you know that the average household wastes a huge £700 – which is enough to heat a family home for a year or host a monstrous Halloween party for the whole street!
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is encouraging people to do their bit for the environment while having fun with the family during Halloween.
By keeping check on the amount of food we waste in the green bin, you can think about portion sizes and the weekly shopping list and cut down on the food you buy and waste resulting in the whole family saving a packet.
Each year, more than one million pumpkins are sold in the UK, 99% of which are used just to carve into lanterns.
Thousands more children across the County Borough are once again keeping up the traditions by carving pumpkins, ducking apples and taking part in spooky activities at home.
Whilst carving pumpkins is a fun activity, the Council is reminding its residents that the insides of carved pumpkins, and also the shell of the pumpkin and remnants of Ducking Apples, can be deposited in the green food waste caddy, ready for weekly kerbside collection after Halloween.
Councillor Ann Crimmings, Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure & Culture, said:
“The Halloween season is a time for families to have fun, although it is still important that we remember that we all have a part to play in securing a better environment for the next generation to enjoy.
“The support of our householders towards our food waste kerbside recycling has been amazing so far, and I would like to thank each and every resident of our County Borough for doing their bit.
“We are committed to doing all we can to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and will continue to invest for the future to ensure we have the schemes, high-quality vehicles and easy-to-use facilities that people rely upon to recycle.
”Every day our dedicated Streetcare teams are out and about across the County Borough ensuring that it is a clean, green and safe place to live, work and visit – so recycle your Halloween pumpkins and remnants of your Ducking Apples appropriately as we continue in our fight to keep Rhondda Cynon Taf a cleaner and greener place in which to live and work.
The council has issued the following tips for a ‘Green Halloween’
- Avoid using plastic Trick or Treat bags
- If you are planning a Halloween party, do not send out paper invitations
- Avoid using disposable plates at Halloween parties
- After your party, place any food waste into your caddy for collection
- Make Halloween costumes by reusing old clothes or buying from charity shops
- Bored of the same costume every year? Why not arrange a costume swap with family, friends or neighbours?
- Use the flesh of the pumpkin as the main ingredient in a tasty dish like pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie or roasted pumpkin risotto. Pumpkin can also be used as a cheap and tasty alternative to sweet potato.
- Even pumpkins seeds can be put to good use – toast them in a dry pan or roast them in the oven, and store them in an airtight jar. They make a great healthy topping for soups, pastas, muesli or salads.
- Once you’ve finished with your pumpkin shell don’t forget to compost it or alternatively place on top of your food waste caddie for collection.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email News@News.Wales
