Two new grey bins have started to be delivered across the county ahead of weekly food waste collections starting. <\/p>\n
Bedford Borough Council said leftovers, out-of-date food, tea bags, pet food and scraps will be collected from Monday, 30 March, and should no longer be put in black bags. <\/p>\n
The waste will then be turned into renewable energy and fertiliser.<\/p>\n
Households will get a small kitchen caddy for daily use and a larger outdoor one for the food waste to be emptied into. People in flats will be able to use a communal food bin.<\/p>\n
The council said the caddies have been specially designed with a locking mechanism; when the handle is down, the lid is held securely to stop rats, foxes and other pests from getting into them.<\/p>\n
They also should keep smells in and flies out, and can be lined with ordinary plastic bags, paper or newspaper or reused bread and cereal bags. <\/p>\n
“At the processing plant, bags and newspaper liners are removed by the contractor before the food waste is treated through an automated process,” the council said.<\/p>\n
However, a liner is not essential as they can be rinsed out, it added. <\/p>\n
Independent councillor Nicola Gribble, portfolio holder for environment, said: “This new service is an important step towards reducing our carbon footprint, cutting waste, and recycling more of the materials we all use every day. <\/p>\n
“Every household can play a part – by recycling food waste, however small an amount, residents are helping generate green energy and support local agriculture, all while keeping rubbish bins fresher and lighter.”<\/p>\n