April start for food waste recycling in South Kesteven

The country-wide, government-led initiative, driven by new national requirements, marks a significant step forward in sustainable waste management and environmental responsibility.

Under the new scheme, in February every South Kesteven household will receive two food waste caddies - a small 5 litre kitchen caddy for collecting daily food scraps, and a larger, 23 litre, outdoor caddy for weekly collections.

Residents will also be provided with an initial roll of caddy liners to help them get started.

The process is simple – plate scrapings, peelings, tea bags, coffee grounds, and other food waste can be placed in the liner, tied up, and transferred to the outdoor caddy for weekly collection.

Collected food waste will then be sent to a specialist anaerobic digestion facility, where it will be converted into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser. This also supports local farming and helps power homes and businesses.

By separating food waste, the council says residents can better understand what they are throwing away, potentially saving money and helping reduce council waste management costs. The new system is said to be more efficient and supports vital local services.

Everyone will be contacted in advance with specific details about when collections will begin and how to participate. The food waste caddies can be used from Monday April 6, ahead of the first weekly collection.

South Kesteven District Council previously ran a food waste collection trial for 4,700 homes in areas such as Rippingale, which ran from June 2018 for three years, but this was later axed. The trial, involving weekly collections of kitchen caddies, was considered successful in diverting waste, but was discontinued due to high costs and aging vehicles.

The introduction of this new countywide service follows national changes set out in the Environment Act 2021, which requires all authorities who collect your waste from the kerbside to collect food waste separately on a weekly basis. It is a legal requirement aimed at improving recycling rates and sustainability across the UK.

As part of the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership, councils are working together to ensure a smooth rollout across Lincolnshire. Not all areas will go live at the same time, with individual start dates in a staggered launch.

In North Kesteven, the district council will begin delivering your food waste caddies from January 19. It will take a few weeks to deliver the caddies to every address in North Kesteven.

Once your caddy arrives, you are advised not to start using it until the week before the collections start on March 30 on your usual bin day, so start using your caddies on March 23.

Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, Coun Rhys Baker, said: “Many residents are already enthusiastic recyclers and I am sure they will embrace this new system to see where it can take us.

“This is a simple change with a powerful impact. Together, we can reduce waste, generate clean energy, and make Lincolnshire greener for generations to come.”

For more information, go to http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/foodwaste and for tips and recipes to help waste less food and save money, go to https://lovefoodhatewaste.com

FAQs –

Will my bin collection days change? Bin collection days won't be changing again. The kerbside food waste caddy should be put out for collection on the same day as your regular collections at the same time as you present your black, silver or paper/card bins each week.

I compost my waste - is this still a service for me? Yes. You shouldn't put bread, meat, fish, dairy or any cooked food in your compost. Using the food waste caddy means you can recycle all these types of food which shouldn't be composted at home as they could attract vermin.

I don't have room for the indoor food waste caddy: Simply use the outside caddy. The kitchen caddy is only five litres and is designed to be kept on a kitchen work surface or under the sink. However, if you don't want to use the small kitchen caddy, simply place your bagged food waste directly into the larger 23 litre food waste caddy, which you can keep outside.

Many more FAQs online at: www.southkesteven.gov.uk/foodwaste