30,000 food waste containers sent out in a bid to get Southport people to recycle

Nov 25 2009 by Andrew Brown, Formby Times

SEFTON Council is to send out food waste containers to 30,000 homes across the borough in a bid to encourage more people to recycle their leftovers.

The move comes after a campaign by the authority for a grant to promote the scheme in Sefton proved successful.

The Waste Resources Application Programme has agreed to an external funding application of £300,000 to environmental cabinet members to help encourage an uptake of the service.

It has been provisionally allocated to encourage people to dispose of their unwanted dinner using special containers.

All local authorities are now being encouraged by the Government to collect food waste separately, and the specific WRAP money is for spending on thousands of additional food waste containers for households that have not yet requested to use the service in Sefton.

It is estimated waste food makes up around 20 per cent by weight of household waste in Merseyside.

In 2008/2009, Sefton Council’s “opt in” food waste collection successfully collected nearly 2,5000 tonnes of food waste from more than 30,000 households.

The grant will be used to buy and distribute a further 30,000 plastic food waste containers and instructions to people who want them.

In a report to councillors Peter Moore, environmental protection director, said: “This should encourage ongoing use of the service by a greater number of Sefton households.”

Cabinet member environmental, Lib Dem councillor David Tattersall, said: “We were the first authority in Merseyside to introduce the service and already thousands of tonnes of food waste have been recycled into soil improving compost instead of ending up in landfill. Next Spring the landfill tax goes up to £48 a tonne.