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Food waste

Introduction

We are collecting food waste every week from about 5,500 households in a pilot area.

The pilot area includes parts of Humberston, Sydney Sussex, Yarborough, Immingham and Park ward.

Food waste makes up a third of the average household waste bin and could be recycled.

Wasting food costs the average family almost £60 a month.

The pilot will help us determine the impact food waste recycling collections have on household waste, and identify the viability of rolling out the service across the rest of the borough.

Recycling your food waste

We give households in the food waste pilot a small caddy for their kitchen, liners to put in the caddy and an outside food recycling bin with a lockable lid.

Getting started is easy. Line your caddy with one of the liners and empty your food waste into the caddy instead of your normal bin.

When you need to empty the caddy, tie up the top of the liner and put it in your outdoor food recycling bin.

Remember to empty your caddy before it gets too full.

Put your food recycling bin out for collection by 7am on your usual bin day. Check your bin day here.

Food waste is collected every week and recycled at anaerobic digestion plant. Caddy liners are split and the contents processed to generate energy and make fertiliser to grow crops. The empty liners are sent to the Energy from Waste plant for disposal.

  • All uneaten food and plate scrapings
  • Fruit and vegetables peelings
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds
  • Mouldy or out of date food
  • Bread and pastries
  • Fish
  • Small bones such as chicken or fish bones
  • Dairy  

  • Any material that is not food waste
  • Large quantities of liquids such as milk or oil
  • Packaging of any kind
  • Big bones such as lamb shoulder or leg

  • Your household bin is cleaner, less full and not as smelly.
  • Recycling more and wasting less is an effective way to help the environment.
  • Recycling your food waste gives you the opportunity to recycle more of your household waste.
  • Increasing the amount of waste recycled helps us achieve local and national targets.

Caddy liners

When you are running out of caddy liners, please tie one to the handle of your food waste bin when you put it out for collection.

The collection crew will know to leave you a new roll. If you forget and run out, any normal plastic bag will do as a temporary measure.

What people say about food waste collections

We surveyed households in the pilot and received 1,059 responses. Eighty-nine per cent said they recycled food waste every week and 79 per cent said that recycling was important to them.
Find out more about what people said at www.nelincs.gov.uk/your-council/consultations-and-surveys/past-consultations/

What happens to food waste

waste enters a sealed building where it is processed into a liquid porridge, and then pumped into the anaerobic digestion plant. It is here that bacteria feed on the food waste and produce biogas. Biogas is captured and used as a fuel in combined heat and power engines or sent through a gas filter and sent directly to the gas grid.

destroyed and is stored in large lagoons ready to be applied twice a year on farmland. The use of this high nutrient biofertiliser replaces the use of fossil-fuel derived fertilisers and ensures a complete loop of carbon and energy capture.

Find out more at Anaerobic Digestion | BioteCH4

Weekly Food Waste Pilot Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated 14 April 2021.

We are trying out food waste collections on one of our bin rounds. Only households on that round can take part in the pilot. The pilot for weekly food waste collections starts on 26 April. Food waste will be collected in a small caddy from about 4,500 households in the pilot area. Every bit of food we waste contributes to climate change. The Government wants all English councils to collect food waste separately from 2023.

We understand you may have some questions and concerns about the pilot, but it’s something we will be introducing to all households in the next couple of years. Please give it a try and see how you get on. We are keen to hear what you think, even if you decide it’s not something you want to do. We will monitor the pilot’s progress to help shape what we do in the future. Your opinion is an important part of that process. There are many benefits to taking part, for example your food waste will be collected every week. This will help reduce smells and free up space in your green bin, which is collected fortnightly. Your food waste is recycled at an anaerobic digestion plant where it is used to generate energy and create a fertiliser to grow crops, so it’s put to good use.

Food waste will be collected weekly and taken to an anaerobic digestion plant for processing. Households will receive a small caddy for their kitchen and another for outside. You will be given plastic bin liners for your kitchen caddy.

Throwing away less food at home is one of the simplest things each of us can do every day to help protect our environment.

Our staff are looking at ways to leave the caddies after they have emptied them to reduce the risk of them blowing away.

The outdoor caddies have lockable lids and should be secure against animals looking for food. Please make sure you lock the bin lid securely.

We will provide liners for the caddies. The liners are a roll of polythene bags. Although they are not biodegradable, they are separated from the food waste at the anaerobic digestion plant and then sent to an energy from waste facility where waste is burned to generate energy. Some biodegradable bags deteriorate rapidly and can split, so we chose not to use them.

Although the bin liners we are using are not biodegradable, they are separated from the food waste at the anaerobic digestion plant and then sent to an energy from waste facility where they are burned to generate energy. Some biodegradable bags deteriorate rapidly and can split.

We will give you four rolls of 25 caddy liners to start with. When you are running low, tie a bag on the caddy handle when you put it out for collection and the crew will leave you more liners.

We will empty your food caddy every week on your usual collection day, just leave it with your bin.

We use a different vehicle for food waste so your caddy will be emptied at a different time of day to your bin.

Yes, any plastic bag will do, as long as it does not have holes in it. Some people use the plastic bags that loaves of bread come in.

Please call 01472 326288 to arrange a replacement.

Please call 01472 326288 to arrange a replacement or use a suitable caddy or bin of your own.

Yes, you can use any caddy you like inside your home. Please make sure you line it with a caddy liner or plastic bag to stop the food waste from leaking into the bin.

Food waste is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant at Hemswell Cliff. The plant recycles food waste and organic materials, turning them into biogas. Food waste is used to produce gas and electricity and valuable bio fertiliser soil products. This directly benefits the crops which grow around the site, and vastly reduces the need for artificial fertilisers for the surrounding farms.

On average a third of waste in household refuse bins is food waste, the majority of which is unopened or leftover food. NELC is piloting a new food waste recycling service to see what impact this has on reducing waste and increasing recycling with a view to rolling this out borough-wide.

We needed to select one collection round for the pilot and that provided a good mix of household types. Consideration was given also given to current participation with the existing recycling services. The following areas around the following streets have been selected for the pilot: Humberston, Campden Creasent, St Micheaels Road, Talbot Road and Augusta Street.

We will be monitoring the tonnages of household waste, normal recycling and food waste recycling along with household participation to determine the impact of the pilot. The results will be help us to make a decision about rolling the service out borough-wide.

No, your collection days will remain the same as normal. You will be able to recycle your food waste straight away using the new containers we provide, your collections will start from the week beginning 26 April on your normal collection day.

No. If you empty your food caddy regularly into the outside food recycling bin and use the liners provided or paper to line your caddy. You outdoor food bin has a sealable and lockable lid which will stop smells and vermin getting in. Your household bin will stay cleaner and smell less if you remove your food waste and recycle it weekly.

1). Food waste is taken to a special processing plant where it is used to generate energy and produce a fertiliser to grow crops.

2) This addition to your recycling service gives you the opportunity to recycle more of your waste.

3) Your household waste bin will be cleaner, less full and smell less.

4) It will increase the amount of waste recycled and help us achieve local and national targets.

For tips and advice to help you waste less food and save money visit lovefoodhatewaste.com .

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