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Following on from the pre-election period, during which our newsletters were reduced, you will now be getting your rubbish and recycling newsletter on a weekly basis.
This week is part two of our tackling food waste special. In part one, we looked at reducing, reusing and repairing food. This week we will look at recycling food and what happens when we collect it.
 Recycle
If reducing, reusing or repairing food isn't an option, it's time to recycle.
- If your food still has a shelf life but you aren't going to use it, you could donate it to a foodbank, or see if a local homeless cafe would like it. You could also offer it on a local neighbourhood social media group, such as Facebook.
- If you have extra dinner portions, you could offer to friends and neighbours, or use an app such as OLIO to offer to people in your local area.
- Invest in a home compost bin. The best bit is, you can use your old food waste to grow fresh produce.
- Recycle your food waste kerbside using your caddy. All foods can be recycled, including:
- All uneaten food and plate scrapings
- Leftover pet food
- Raw and cooked meat and bones
- Fish
- Dairy products (cheese, eggs, yoghurt)
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Rice, pasta & beans
- Bread, cakes, pastries
- Raw or cooked vegetables
- Fruit
- Peelings
- Cooking oil – sealed in the plastic bottle and place inside your outdoor container
 Recover and dispose
Re3 explain what happens to your food waste after you have put it out for recycling:
Food waste is collected from households and brought to the re3 transfer stations. It is then transported to the Anaerobic Digestion facility in Oxfordshire.
In the digesters, the food waste is broken down by bacteria, creating a gas called methane. This gas is captured and used to create electricity. The plant produces 2.4mw of electricity continually, which is enough to power 4,800 homes. In addition, the food waste breaks down into a liquid fertiliser, rich in nitrogen, used in fields to improve the soil and help grow crops.
The plant recycles 50,000 tonnes of solid food and liquid waste and captures 4.5 million cubic metres of methane gas each year.
 Have you renewed your garden waste subscription?
The current garden waste subscription finishes at the end of this month. To renew for next year, or to join as a new customer, please call 0118 974 6000 and choose the 'waste' option, or click the button below.
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