Food waste collection will help Pendle meet tough recycling target

That's if Councillors on the Executive agree to a food waste collection when they meet on Tuesday 22 September.

At the meeting, Executive Councillors will consider a report which sets out the proposal for a new food waste collection scheme.

This will see food waste collected from 7,000 homes across Pendle - in parts of Nelson, Colne, Barnoldswick, Earby, Brierfield and Barrowford.

Councillor John David, who represents recycling, said :

"This is a major step forward for recycling in Pendle.

"But it depends on Councillors agreeing to it at the Executive and Full Council meetings next week.

"I very much hope we will get that agreement so that we can improve our good recycling performance even further.

"Collecting food waste from Pendle homes will help us to meet the challenging target of recycling 56% of our waste by 2015*.

"The latest available research data shows that in Lancashire kitchen waste makes up around 35% of household waste.

"We estimate that we will collect 380 tonnes of kitchen waste annually.

"All that waste will be processed and turned into ground cover, similar to compost.

"That's got to be better than it just going to landfill!"

The trial will mean that residents can recycle food waste, such as vegetable peelings, leftover cooked food and meat/bones, rather than just throwing it into the bin.

Householders will be given kitchen caddies with biodegradable liners in which to collect their food waste.

They can empty the waste into an outdoor caddy, which the Council will collect every week.

The food waste will then be taken to Todmorden and biologically broken down and made into ground cover, like compost.

Staff from the Council's recycling team have visited Preston and Calderdale where kitchen waste collection schemes already operate.

Having seen what works with their collections and what doesn't, they have come up with the preferred option for Pendle.

Food waste collections will be funded through the Council's Climate Change Reserve budget. 

We are however hopeful to also get help from WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and Lancashire County Council.

Councillor David added :

"If we're serious about climate change, this is what we have to do."

If the Executive approve the food waste trial proposal, they will recommend that the report goes to the full Council meeting on Thursday 24th September.

It will then be for the full Council meeting to give the scheme the final go ahead.

For more information about Pendle's food waste scheme, contact our helpline on 01282 661743.

*Please note that the illustration shows a sample of one type of food waste caddy. If Pendle Councillors decide to implement the scheme, the caddies issued locally may differ in style or colour.