Surrey residents recycled even more food waste in their caddies last year meaning that £310,000 is now being saved every year and helping to protect essential services.
But even though big savings are already being made, more food waste could be recycled – if all food waste in Surrey went into caddies, it would save an extra £3 million a year.
The savings have been made because it costs less to recycle food waste than it does to dispose of it. And, even though it’s only a small action, it shows that putting a bit more into your caddy can make a big difference.
The Government’s new Resources and Waste Strategy proposes the introduction of weekly food waste collections throughout the UK to help combat waste. Luckily, Surrey residents already have weekly collections and the opportunity to recycle all their food waste.
To help make recycling easier, residents in Surrey are also able to line their caddy with any kind of plastic bag rather than needing to buy compostable bags. They are encouraged to tie any smelly food waste in a carrier bag and put it straight into their outside food waste bin. When the food waste is taken to the anaerobic digestion plant machinery splits and removes any bags or liners, including compostable ones.
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Editor’s notes
For further information, contact comms@surreyep.org.uk.
Surrey Environment Partnership
The Surrey Environment Partnership is made up of Surrey County Council and the 11 district and borough councils in the county. It aims to manage Surrey’s waste in the most efficient, effective, economical and sustainable manner.
The 11 district and borough councils are waste collection authorities (WCAs) and are responsible for the collection of Surrey’s municipal waste which includes waste from households. The county council is the waste disposal authority and is responsible for the disposal and treatment of Surrey’s municipal waste collected at the kerbside and waste and recycling from Surrey’s community recycling centres (CRCs).
To find out more, visit surreyep.org.uk.