New Food Waste Collections For Bournemouth

3 March 2014, 07:08

From today, all homes in Bournemouth will now be able to recycle their food waste.

Over the last month, special caddies have been delivered to every address around the town, ready to be put out with the normal bin collections.

In Bournemouth, 38% of waste thrown in the Little Bin (refuse) is food. Residents will be able to use their new containers to collect not only uncooked vegetables, fruit waste and eggshells but also cooked food, meat and fish bones, as well as food that is no longer edible. 

The separated food waste will be treated so that, for example, cooked food and bones, break down much more quickly and can be used as a high quality soil improver. Additionally, the by-products of the process can be used to generate electricity, so it is also a renewable energy resource

The food waste will be collected weekly at the same time as the general rubbish.

All households who currently have a wheeled 140l bin (Little Bin) and a 240l bin for recycling (Big Bin) should have received two new food waste containers: a kitchen caddy for indoors, and a larger 12l container for outside.

Georgina Fry, Waste and Resource Projects Manager for Bournemouth Borough Council, said:

“Bournemouth residents are already recycling a large amount of their waste, but currently 38 per cent of the contents of the general rubbish in Bournemouth is food waste that could be used as a resource. 

"We’ve tried to make separating food waste as easy as possible, so, for example, the larger food waste container has been especially designed for Bournemouth to give householders the option to either keep it in their ‘Little Bin’ so cutting down storage room required, or to stand on its own if the householder prefers to keep it that way. It has a lockable lid to stop animals accessing the contents.

"The kitchen caddy allows the household to separate food waste from the general rubbish as they dispose of it, and minimise trips to the outside container.”

Councillor Michael Filer, Cabinet Member for Waste, said:

“We’ve provided a lot of information to residents through the media, by producing an information leaflet which accompanied the food waste container deliveries, through advertising and online via our website and social media."

Bournemouth residents who live in flats with communal bins need to opt into the new collections to receive their food waste containers. When residents sign up for the scheme, a waste officer will visit to make sure that residents get the correct containers and receive advice on the new scheme.  Residents can join the scheme either by calling 01202 451199 or emailing recycle@bournemouth.gov.uk.  

Further information and updates are also available on the Bournemouth Borough Council website at www.bournemouth.gov.uk/foodwaste and on Facebook www.facebook.com/recycleforbournemouth. Residents can also call 01202 451199 for further information.