Published: Friday, 3rd September 2021
The borough council is encouraging residents to take the food waste challenge to help the environment. By doing so, they could win high street shopping vouchers worth £250.
Weekly food waste collections resumed in July once Covid 19 restrictions were lifted.
Cllr Paul Kunes, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “Using your kitchen caddy and putting your grey outdoor food waste bin out for collection with your waste or recycling collection each week reduces CO2, can create electricity to power our homes and creates nutrient rich biofertilizer used by farmers to grow crops.
“Before the service was suspended, due to Covid restrictions, our residents were recycling 3,000 tonnes of food waste each year. We need the people of west Norfolk to use the food waste service to reduce their impact on the environment.
“To encourage this we have set a food waste challenge. A leaflet has been delivered to every house in the borough this week that highlights what you can and can’t recycle in your food caddy. On the back is an #IStickeredMyBin sticker to place on your black waste bin to remind you to use your food caddy.
"If the resident has placed their outdoor food caddy out for collection and used the #IStickeredMyBin sticker on their black bin, then they could win £250 to spend on the high street. Each week, for four weeks, a street will be picked to visit at random, and one property will be selected.
"Since the service was re-introduced, we’ve had over 600 requests for a free replacement kitchen caddy or outdoor food waste bin. This demonstrates a high level of interest in the service which is great. We hope this campaign will encourage even more residents to make a change to their food waste habits. If you’ve misplaced your food waste caddy or bin, please get in touch.”
A full size walking outdoor food waste bin will be hitting the streets of west Norfolk from 13 September, promoting the food waste service and encouraging people to take the food waste challenge.
Details about the competition, including terms and conditions, and details of how to apply for a free replacement kitchen caddy or outdoor food waste bin can be found at west-norfolk.gov.uk/foodwaste. If you have not received a leaflet and sticker by 8 September, let us know and we will get one sent to you.
What happens to the food waste
The food waste is sent to an anaerobic digestion facility. Initially it is fed through a special machine that strips out any plastic bags and sends them off to produce electricity. The remaining waste is processed to create energy and bio fertiliser.
Residents can line their kitchen food waste caddies with old plastic carrier bags, bread bags, fruit and veg bags and other freezer/sandwich bags, or use these to put food waste in. This will keep their caddy and outside bin clean and hygienic - and also provide an additional use for single-use plastic bags. Alternatively, caddies can be lined with newspaper