All homes to be forced to separate food waste
Recycling caddies for organic matter to be mandatory in a bid to cut gases at landfill sites
EVERY household in England will soon be obliged to collect food waste in a separate caddy under plans to be announced next week.
At present only about 35 per cent of households in England have to put food waste in its own caddy, with most councils instructing people to put it in their main bin. Councils that insist households collect food in separate caddies may impose written warnings and, eventually, fines of up to £100, upon those which refuse to comply.
It is thought that the scheme could pave the way for less frequent collections of general household waste.
Unwanted food that goes into a general bin rots in landfill and creates methane, a greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming.
However, when food is collected separately, it can be put into an anaerobic digester and broken down into sludge, carbon dioxide and methane, which can be used for generating en- ergy or running a vehicle. The sludge can be used as a soil fertiliser to help farmers grow crops.
It is anticipated that the change will help the Government reach its targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
It is thought that the measures will be recommended as part of an over- haul of the UK’S recycling and waste disposal system, designed by Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary.
Last year, figures from Wrap, the government-funded food waste charity, revealed how the amount of waste in households was rising.
In 2015, 7.3million tons was being thrown away, up by 4.4per cent from 7 million tons in 2012. Of this 4.4 million tons was said to be “avoidable waste” that could have been consumed. Previous proposals have included forcing supermarkets to carry warning signs in stores advising customers not to waste foodstuffs at home. Currently, other parts of the UK far exceed England’s food recycling efforts. In Scotland, the number of households that recycle food waste is 56 per cent, while in Wales it is 100 per cent. The figures exclude food waste mixed with garden waste.
Recyclenow, the governmentbacked campaign, says: “Throwing away food is a huge waste of the energy, water and packaging used in its production, transportation and storage. If we all stopped wasting the food which could have been eaten, it would have the same CO2 impact as taking one in four cars off UK roads.”
It is understood that the highly anticipated “Resource and Waste Review” will suggest a range of options to reform the UK’S broken recycling system, including a radical plan to force manufacturers to fund up to 100 per cent of UK households’ recycling. At present they foot around 10 per cent of the total bill through a coupon system, with local councils using constituents’ council tax payments to fund the remaining 90 per cent. The proposal would give councils a collective boost of up to £1 billion, industry sources said. They would then be expected to spend the extra money, around £20 per household, on improving recycling facilities.