Food Waste Recycling Hits New High
Huge Christmas cheers for Rhondda Cynon Taf residents as more and more people are joining in the food waste recycling scheme!
In the last 6 months residents across the County Borough have more than doubled the amount of food waste we recycle each month. With monthly food waste recycling figures rising from 321 tonnes to a staggering 871 tonnes – that’s equivalent to 275,000 Christmas turkeys being recycled in one month!
The total amount of food waste collected in the last 6 months amounts to a huge 3,462 tonnes, which when converted in to energy at the new food waste recycling plant in Bryn Pica, Llwydcoed, generates enough energy to power the whole of Glenboi, Mountain Ash (340 homes).
With more and more people recycling their food waste, the Council has seen a huge increase in residents requesting caddies and bins and we have more on order ready to be delivered direct to your door – so don’t delay, recycle your food waste today!
The timing couldn’t be better, as we all stock up our cupboards and fridges ready for the big day, it’s vital that we recycle as much as we can! From wrapping paper to potato peelings – the Council has got it covered!
The majority of the 100,000 residents in Rhondda Cynon Taf have already signed up and are using the Council’s food waste recycling service – if you’re not already signed up, why not? Treat the environment this Christmas – It’s free, easy and weekly from your kerbside!
Thanks to the Council’s food waste recycling scheme and the separate food waste bins, it’s clear to see just how much food we throw away every day.
By keeping check on the amount of food we waste, you can think about portion sizes and the weekly shopping list and cut down on the food you buy and waste and save a packet.
This isn’t the only positive – by using your kitchen caddy and food waste bin you will prevent your food waste ending up in landfill, where it would decompose to produce greenhouse gases. Instead it can be turned in to compost and a biogas that can be used as a fuel.
In the UK we throw away at least £10 billion pounds worth of food each year which could have been eaten –
- We throw away 1.6 million untouched bananas every day.
- 1.3 million un-opened yoghurts each day.
- 600,000 whole uncooked eggs every day.
- 1.2 million un-touched sausages.
- 20 million slices of bread every day.
That’s a lot of festive sausage and egg sandwiches!
If everybody across the County Borough recycled their food waste, it would prevent 30% of waste going to landfill as a third of what residents throw away is made up of food waste which thanks to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Food Waste recycling scheme can all be recycled.
Councillor Ann Crimmings, Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure & Culture, said: “The latest figures show that more residents than ever before are joining the food waste recycling scheme! We are delighted that so many people are seeing just how easy it is to recycle your food waste.
“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 high-quality vehicles and easy-to-use facilities that people rely upon to recycle.
“We now have a dedicated food waste recycling plant based in Bryn Pica, Llwydcoed, which sees more food waste than ever before being converted in to enough energy to power homes.
“We want to succeed in partnership with our communities, which is why we provide an effective weekly kerbside recycling and food waste collection scheme that is free of charge to use, as well as community facilities and ongoing education and awareness raising on the subject.
”When you think that a third of what goes to landfill could be recycled as food waste, the benefits of this scheme are plain for all to see.”
Food waste recycling is an initiative that, if all residents took part in, could reduce the amount of waste the County Borough sends to landfill by a third. It would also see items such as fruit, vegetables, egg shells, bread, pasta, cereal, used kitchen towels, soiled food packaging and more being turned into compost and, eventually, bio fuel for vehicles or even electricity.
The food waste recycling service is in addition to the free, easy-to-use kerbside recycling scheme that is open to all residents, as well as nappy recycling and community recycling centres/banks located across the County Borough.
Residents who have previously requested a food waste caddy are set to receive theirs shortly.
Further information on Christmas recycling, including collection changes is available on these pages
