Council launch food waste scheme

A food waste collection trial has been launched in Horsham this week.

‘Selected households’ in the district will be taking part in the new scheme, which will see them placing waste in four bins – with the general rubbish landfill waste being collected every three weeks instead of the current fortnightly refuse service.

About 100 households will be taking part in the 12week trial, which starts on September 29, including families, people living alone and people living in flats.

The trial service will entail weekly food waste collections and an optional, free subscription service of absorbent hygiene product collections, if required such as nappies and incontinence waste.

The existing fortnightly recycling (blue-top bin) collections and garden waste subscription service will continue as normal.

General waste (green-top bin) will be collected every three weeks, the council said, based on trial participants having substantially less waste to dispose of as a result of their food waste being collected separately and other recently introduced collection services such as textiles, small electricals and household batteries.

The council said all residents selected to take part in the trial and receive kerbside collections will be given free bins, including a lockable food waste recycling bin and a ‘handy kitchen caddy.’

The council said the trial was developed as a result of resident feedback saying people would like separate food waste collections amid concerns about the impact of food waste on the climate.