Support for food waste collections :: wasteaction.org.uk

Joint research by Waste Watch and Brook Lyndhurst, on behalf of Defra, shows that more than three quarters of people support having separate collections for food waste which would allow it to be composted...

Since the research was undertaken, the provision of food waste collections has increased to 137 local authorities in the UK. The research found that two thirds of households say they use their service, with 92 per cent of people finding it easy to use.

On average, each household produces 276kg of food waste a year, or 5.3 kg per week, of which 3.2kg could be eaten. The study found that householders over 35 years old and those who work part-time or are retired were most likely to use their food waste collection service on a frequent basis.

Commenting on the research, Claudia Kuss-Tenzer, Waste Watch's Research and Policy Programme Manager, said, "The survey shows wide-spread public support for food waste collections. Crucially, the design of the collection scheme - in particular how often food waste is collected - is key to encouraging people to participate in food waste recycling.

With some authorities reporting significant drops in waste generation as a result of introducing food waste collections, we hope this provides the momentum to encourage more food waste collection throughout the UK, and look forward to working with local authorities to achieve this."

Source:WasteWatch