Hillingdon Council has invested £485,000.00 on a new fleet of vehicles that are now collecting food waste separately from garden waste.
The brand-new trucks which have been out doing their rounds across the borough since Monday (10 May) and are part of the council’s continuing efforts to improve the borough’s recycling rates. Previously, food and garden waste were collected at the same time, by the same vehicle.
Approximately 44 per cent of general waste in Hillingdon is made up of food waste. This harmful for the planet and contributes to climate change due to gases like methane and carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.
Recycling food waste is easy and free for residents. All that is needed is a 5-litre kitchen caddy, compostable bags and an outdoor caddy which are supplied for free when resident’s sign-up for this service on the council’s website. Thanks to the outdoor caddy’s click locking mechanism, it keeps rodents from tearing open bags, and residents can also sign up to receive automatic food waste bag deliveries from the council.
Once collected, Hillingdon’s food waste is transported in bulk to Surrey for recycling via a process called anaerobic digestion. Here it’s broken down to generate electricity which helps supply homes and businesses with clean, renewable energy. The process also produces high-quality fertiliser for agriculture.
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Regeneration, said: “We know how much our residents value this free service, and these new food waste trucks mean we can continue to improve our recycling rates and help the environment.
“The reality is that more than half of our food waste generated ends up in general waste which contributes to climate change. By making small changes to the way we all think about food waste and by using the council’s easy-to-use food waste recycling service residents can help us to make a real difference.
“I encourage those who haven’t yet signed up for this service to request their free caddies today and play their part in helping to make our borough greener.”
To sign up to the free food waste service visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/food-waste.
