Published Thursday, 2nd June 2016
From 1 June it will be easier, cleaner and cheaper for residents to recycle food waste following changes enabling them to line their silver kitchen food waste caddies with plastic bags or liners.
Anything from old shopping bags to bread or salad bags can be used, as well as newspaper and the compostable liners we can already accept.
By providing more options for lining the caddies, it’s hoped that more residents will be encouraged to separate out food waste from their general rubbish and to recycle more of it.
The change has been made possible by new technology at the anaerobic digestion plants where the food waste is turned into energy and fertiliser.
Announcing the change Frank Etheridge, Head of Recycling & Cleansing at Reigate & Banstead Borough Council said: “Residents wanted more options for lining their food waste caddies, to help reduce smells and mess. I’m pleased to announce that from June, with the help of new technology at the food recycling plant, we can now offer residents more options for lining their food waste caddies.
"We will be able to take food waste stored in re-used plastic bags, pedal bin liners, plastic shopping bags coming to the end of their life as well as food bags and the compostable food caddy liners and paper many people already use. There’s no excuse not to separate out food waste and recycle it – if everyone in Surrey put all their food waste in their caddies it could save taxpayers up to £3 million a year.”
The council can take food waste in plastic bags but cannot accept any other packaging, nor should residents use black bin liners as these may be mistaken for general rubbish and not recycled. Residents should remember that they cannot place plastic bags in their mixed recycling, but these can now be used to line food waste caddies.