Sheffield trial of food waste collection begins

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 has begun.

About 8,200 households in parts of the city are participating in the 12-week project, which started on Monday.

Sheffield City Council said the scheme aimed to reduce the amount of waste ending up in black bins.

Participating homes have been given an outdoor food waste bin and a smaller indoor kitchen caddy and the foods scraps will be recycled at anaerobic digestion facilities.

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, the authority said.

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

Councillor Joe Otten, Chair of the Waste & Street Scene Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council said: "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.

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

According to the council, all areas of England would be required by law to provide a weekly food waste recycling service in the next few years.

The trial, it said, would help to plan for the future and contribute to "our objective of becoming a zero-carbon city by the start of the next decade".