Powys County Council has issued a reminder for people to keep food waste out of their general rubbish bins.

The council’s waste awareness and enforcement team will be joining the recycling crews across the county in the coming weeks to see how many of us are recycling our food waste correctly.

Residents across Powys are advised to recycle any left-over or unwanted food via the weekly recycling collections.

The team will be leaving a reminder to keep food waste out of the wheeled bin while offering residents advice on how to make the most of the weekly food waste recycling collections.

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Powys Council has said that while many residents across the county recycle everyday items such as paper and card, glass, cans, plastic bottles and cartons, many are still not recycling all their food waste.

The council estimates that around a quarter of the general rubbish bin is still food, all of which could be recycled easily in the food waste caddies.

Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys said: “The content of our food waste caddies here in Powys is collected every week.

“This means that it is far less likely to start to smell and go yucky than if you put your waste food out with the rubbish in the wheeled bin that is collected every three weeks.

“Plus, when using the free food caddy liners, any potential smells and spills are kept to a minimum.

“Powys people are already doing a great job at recycling, which is why we have any impressive recycling rate of over 68 percent, and food waste is where we can all easily do our bit and directly help combat the effects of climate change.”

County Times:

According to research, a major factor in the reluctance to recycle food waste are the smells and spills, but separating left-over food, vegetable peelings, eggshells, and all the other food waste items reduces the risk of unpleasant odours as they can be contained to a separate bin and removed weekly.

As well as hygiene, Powys Council has said that the benefits of recycling food waste go a long way for environmental and energy-saving reasons.

In Powys, waste food is sent to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it’s turned into green energy. Recycling a caddy load of food waste could generate enough electricity to power a fridge for 18 hours.