Food waste collection trial is ready to launch
PR2445b/HW/MF - 14/07/2022
Selected areas of Mid Sussex are due to begin a new recycling and refuse collection trial that includes the separate collection of food waste.
From mid-September, Mid Sussex residents in parts of Ashurst Wood, Burgess Hill and Lindfield will be provided weekly kerbside collections of food waste as part a trial being delivered in partnership by Mid Sussex District Council and West Sussex County Council.
The aim of the trial is to work with residents to boost recycling and reduce the amount of waste produced. Residents within the trial area will be provided with an enhanced recycling and waste collection service that features a ‘1-2-3’ collection system:
- Weekly food waste collections
- Fortnightly recycling collections
- Three weekly general refuse collections
Residents in the trial areas will also be able to opt-in to a free weekly collection of Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHP) if they need to dispose of nappies, incontinence waste or sanitary products.
The ‘1-2-3’ collection system will be trialled by around 3,000 households that include a mix of housing types and locations to ensure the trial is representative of the whole of Mid Sussex. The trial will enable each council to assess the feasibility of rolling out a similar service across the whole of Mid Sussex.
All residents who have been selected to participate in the trial will be given a free lockable food waste recycling bin and a handy kitchen caddy. Residents who live in flats will also have food waste bins located in their existing bin stores to enable the collection of food waste and AHPs.
The Council will shortly be providing all households within the trial area with an introductory leaflet containing information on what residents will need to do.
Councillor John Belsey, Deputy Leader of Mid Sussex District Council said:
“It’s really exciting to be able to offer weekly food waste collections to our residents as part of this 1-2-3 trial.
“Food waste currently makes up over 38% of the waste in the average Mid Sussex rubbish bin by weight and we want to recycle as much of that waste as possible.
“Kerbside food waste collections make it simple and convenient for residents to recycle food waste into something useful. By collecting food waste separately, it’s possible to use an anaerobic digester to harness the gas that is produced when the food breaks down as energy and turn the left-over material into a soil fertiliser.
“This trial will help us to gather important data and customer feedback, which can be used to fine tune a new collection system. Establishing the most appropriate frequency of collections, the size of bins and how to effectively meet the needs of our residents will be all important when it comes to planning future changes to our waste and recycling services.
“With the help of our residents, we hope that introducing kerbside food waste collections together with other future recycling initiatives and schemes will help us substantially increase recycling levels in Mid Sussex.”
Councillor Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change said:
“This 1-2-3 trial will provide us with valuable feedback from residents that will help us to provide a greener service, with improved recycling rates and lower reliance on traditional waste disposal methods, which are costly and pollute the environment. The introduction of weekly food waste collections is a crucial step to help Mid Sussex increase recycling rates and West Sussex to meet, and hopefully continue to exceed, the Government’s target to increase recycling rates up to 55% by 2025 and 65% by 2035”
To find out more about the trial, including useful tips on reducing food waste and making food go further, visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/123collections
ENDS