Sheffield to begin trial of food waste collection

The aim of the scheme is to reduce the amount of food waste ending up in black bins

A scheme to increase the amount of food waste recycled in Sheffield will begin trials at the end of August.

About 8,200 households in parts of the city will participate in the 12-week project due to begin on 29 August.

Sheffield City Council said it believed a third of the contents of black bins was food waste.

Homes will get an outdoor food waste bin and a smaller indoor kitchen caddy and the foods scraps will be recycled at anaerobic digestion facilities.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Joe Otten, chair of the waste and street scene policy committee, said the trial would prepare the city before weekly food waste collections become compulsory under the Environment Act.

"Food waste recycling is something I have been calling for for many years, with its potential to make a big difference to our greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our black bin waste," he said.

"The trial will help us understand more about food waste collections locally and realise the scale of the benefits, both economically and environmentally."

Councillors say about a third of all waste in black bins is food

Households in parts of Meersbrook, Woodseats, Burncross, Ecclesfield, Arbourthorne and Darnall have been selected for the trial and will start to receive their bins from 15 August.

The outdoor food waste bin will be half the size of a blue bin and the indoor caddy will contain five litres of waste.

A roll of biodegradable liner bags will also be provided, the council said.

Food scraps, meat, fish and dairy can all go into the caddy and, once full, it should be emptied into the outside bin for collection.

Once processed, the waste would be turned into bio-fuel and nutrient-rich fertiliser, the council said.