Looking at smarter ways to get

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A quarter-of-a-million-pound food recycling scheme trumpeted by council bosses when launched has seen just one in five containers left out for bin-men.

Desperate waste managers are now developing a smartphone app aimed at encouraging residents – particularly students – to do their bit.

Two years ago 50,000 households across the city were handed colour-coded tubs to separate their rubbish – including silver ‘caddies’ for food waste.

Council officers now admit that just one in five silver containers is left at the roadside for fortnightly collection.

A staggering 2.5kg of food waste per household – half of which is unopened consumables – ends up in black bin bags every two weeks.

Contracts manager Peter Davies told the council’s policy and resources committee that officers were now committed to addressing the lousy uptake.

He has promised “an action plan this year to try and tackle that, with targeted promotion and mail-outs”.

“We’re trying to get informa- Just one in five silver containers is left out for collection tion out there and educate people Responding to the report, about the different ways that, in Labour Cllr Alan Baldock said particular, the food caddies can the council’s bins contractor, be used,” he said. Serco, had to get basic collections

“Later in the year we’ve got an in order first. app coming out which, again, “I think there’s some fundawill target younger student mentals that we need to get households, helping them underright,” he said. stand exactly what they can and “We need to get a reliable bin can’t put in each bin.” collection service, because it’s

The app will contain a bar code not quite frankly reliable across reader which, via a phone’s camthe whole district. era, can scan food packaging and “A huge number of bins are advise users on how it can later not collected. I think that actube disposed of if left over. ally hacks people off.”

“Hopefully it’s going to help He added that more effort was students to know exactly what needed to increase recycling they can and can’t put in which rates across the district. bin, and to help reduce that con“I think education’s fine, stutamination,” he said. dent education is fine, but we need to keep up with it,” he said. “It’s going to be hard won, every single per cent, now, of getting more recycling. “And that, I think, is going to be a difficult task if we’ve got less credibility in our actual collection system.”

Mr Davis accepted Cllr Baldock’s points.

“It’s a new and very different way of collecting in Canterbury compared to what was operated