Food recycling is part of strategy

Food waste recycling could be on the cards in South Holland as the council signs-up to a new strategy.

The initiative aims to have all seven district councils in the county working together to deal with recycling and other domestic waste.

Members of South Holland District Council are due to discuss the strategy at a meeting on Tuesday, and agree that the council should be a part of it.

But South Holland’s weekly collection will not be under threat from the move and there are no plans to replace the current black bag system with wheelie bins, despite being the only authority not to use them.

The local councils will aim for ten key objectives laid out in the strategy, including collecting a common set of recyclables and considering the collection of food waste where practicable.

Coun Nick Worth, deputy leader of SHDC, said the current collection method would not be changing as a result.

Currently all seven local authorities offer no kerb-side collection for food waste but there is a trial currently at some addresses in South Kesteven. The trial sees collected material sent to an anaerobic digestion facility near Gainsborough.

But as it stands: “Any resulting food waste that is placed in residual waste containers is likely to be processed together at an energy from waste facility at North Hykeham through a contract with the county council,” the report going to SHDC Cabinet members states.

Each district council is responsible for waste collection, while the county authority disposes of the waste.

The joint strategy “sets out a Lincolnshire position in respect of waste management issues and looks to establish a culture with values in support of delivering the waste strategy and its vision.

“By not signing up to the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy the council could risk reputational impacts where it would fail to support a waste strategy endorsed by the other authorities ,” it adds.

“It is clear the cost of waste collection and disposal in the county will increase over the coming years, a fact that led all eight partner agencies to come together and work towards a sustainable strategy for today and for the future,” the strategy says.

“Where we can’t reduce waste or recycle it, we need to use it as a resource in itself – to create energy – and the waste partnership.”

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