New Food Waste Bins for Nestuda House
On Thursday 17th of March our Estate Services Team visited Nestuda House to introduce a new pilot scheme of food waste bins for the residents. Veolia also attended to provide the residents with some information about the importance of food waste bins, and how to make the most of them.
Veolia explained that during the previous year nearly 4,600 tonnes of food waste were collected across Southend-on-Sea City and residents of Nestuda House were invited to play their part in diverting food waste away from landfill sites.
Residents were excited to be able to take their own food waste caddies and liners back to their flats, and to start recycling their food waste. They were happy to hear that their black general waste bins wouldn’t get as dirty without food waste being added to them, meaning that they won’t need to empty their bins as often.
Cllr Terry, cabinet member for public protection for Southend-on-Sea City Council, also attended to explain the importance of recycling our food waste. He said:
“Every piece of food that is not recycled properly goes to landfill. Preventing this will most importantly benefit the environment, but will also reduce the landfill tax we have to pay for waste going to landfill sites, and allow us to focus our resources on more important areas such as buying new library books. It’s great to see some community spirit, and it is such a positive thing to be involved in.”
Using a food waste bin will have significant environmental benefits, by increasing recycling rates and reducing climate changing emissions from landfill sites. The food waste can then be turned into a valuable resource and once processed at an anaerobic digestion plant, can generate green energy. If the pilot scheme proves to be successful, then it is hoped that other sheltered schemes in the borough will be able to benefit from their own food waste bins as well.
Here are some common food items that can be recycled through the food waste collection service instead of going to landfill:
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Fruit and veg
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Tea bags and coffee granules
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Bread, pasta, and rice
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Eggs and dairy products
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Meat, fish, and bones
The following items should not be placed in your food waste bin:
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Liquids
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Carrier bags
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Packaging
Most of the packaging that comes with your food can be recycled in your pink recycling sack. This includes some plastics, tins and cans, glass, and cardboard and paper. The only packaging that cannot be recycled and must go into your black bin bag are non-recyclable plastics and polystyrene.
If you would like to know more about what happens to your food waste after it has been collected by Veolia, take a look at this video: The Importance of Recycling Food Waste