3 Things to Know About Sheffield's New Food Waste Recycling Trial

We've all become familiar over the years with a blue and brown bins. But did you know that a THIRD of waste that goes in the black bin is actually food waste?

That's why Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for years to introduce food waste recycling in Sheffield. Thankfully, we've now secured a trial for 8,000 households - and we're determined to make a success of it!

Recycling food waste in Sheffield is a great opportunity for us to get on the front foot with tackling climate change. That's why we've fought for years - and have now succeeded - in securing the trial.

So what are the benefits of food waste recycling and how will the trial work?

1. How will the trial work and what will it involve?

The scheme will see around 8,000 households from across the city trialing food waste recycling for 12 weeks.

They will be given a 23 litre bin that will be collected every week. Households will also be given an additional 5 litre caddy that can be stored inside and used with free recyclable bin liners.

The bin liners can then be tied up and put outside in the bigger bin for weekly collection alongside the normal bin collections.

All households included in the trial will be sent more information very soon.

Around 50% of other towns and cities already have food waste recycling - and it will soon be law that all councils need to provide it. So this trial is a fantastic opportunity for us to get on the front foot.

2. Will it will help us save money?

Yes! Reducing food waste is a topic that is now being talked about more and more. With what feels like every increasing prices, it is becoming increasingly important to find ways to make sure that we are not wasting the food that we have.

In the UK alone, we wasted £13 billion worth of food in 2015 while household waste amounted to 7.3 million tonnes. What is disheartening, though, is that 4.4 million tonnes of it was completely avoidable and 60% of it could have been eaten.

Between 2007 and 2012, there was a reduction in food waste in the UK. This saved households a total of £6.5 billion. It is clear that even a small change can make a big difference when it comes to reducing food waste.

It's no secret that the way we currently fuel our homes and businesses is not sustainable. We rely heavily on foreign countries for our energy needs, and the cost of oil and gas is always fluctuating.

Food waste collected in Sheffield will go to help make biofuels. Not only would this reduce our reliance on foreign fuel providers, but it would also help to bring down energy costs for everyone.

3. Will it will help us tackle climate change?

Food that is discarded into landfills is not just lost. Discarded meals generate methane - a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Introducing a food waste recycling scheme in Sheffield would be the same as taking 86,000 cars off the street!

Not only will it have a direct effect on our environment, there will also be a knock on effect as it will make us all conscious about the food we chuck in the bin.

The amount of work required to produce, move, and sell food is enormous. There are countless steps behind the scenes to get food from point A to point B and each step will contribute towards climate change. We all have a responsibility to do our bit.

This will help us get Sheffield back on track

With Sheffield currently ranking 279 out of 338 in the recycling league table, this decision can really help us fix that. I am extremely happy that we Liberal Democrats pushed this through.

We need to do everything we can to make this trial a success. The benefits of this trial are vast, and we should all take advantage of it to help reduce our reliance on foreign countries for energy, tackle climate change, and save money.

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