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Date:April 1st, 2008

More money for recycling food waste

Advice categories: Sustainability

More money for recycling food waste

Local authorities were asked to look at ways to recycle food waste from within the £50 million of recycling grants being allocated to them by the Assembly Government on Tuesday, 1 April.

The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson, announced how much each local authority will be receiving for 2008/09 in the latest round of Sustainable Waste Management Grants.

The 2008/09 allocation is up £15 million on last year and local authorities will be strongly advised to use this extra money to prepare for the separate collection and treatment of food waste.

In the next financial year and 2010-11, extra money will be allocated through these grants and ring-fenced for food waste recycling.  Local authorities will then be expected to recycle a certain amount of food waste.

Ms Davidson said:

The Welsh Assembly Government recognises that there is much more to do to deliver sustainable resource management across Wales. This funding will help local authorities continue their progress and put in place the infrastructure of collection, treatment and disposal that is required as well as measures to raise public awareness and participation in recycling.

Increasing the amount they recycle will help local authorities meet their targets and reduce costs from increases in landfill tax. Food waste is an area of great potential and exploiting this will be essential if we are to continue increasing the amount of waste we recycle and divert from landfill.

It is of particular importance in the fight against climate change because when deposited in landfill food waste generates methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times as potent as carbon dioxide.

There are also potential benefits from food waste. Energy can be produced through anaerobic digestion facilities. This process can also help recycle nutrients for maintaining soil health.

Local authorities in Wales currently recycle or compost 33% of waste collected and they must reach 40% by 2010 to meet EU landfill diversion targets and those set in the national waste strategy for Wales.

New longer term targets will be set this year, following consultation, and the Minister has already told Local Authorities her preferred option is 70% by 2025.

A number of local authorities have already started food waste collections and others are developing facilities. Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Merthyr, Carmarthenshire (though not necessarily County wide), RCT, Bridgend and Swansea have already started to introduce food waste collection service. Cardiff, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Wrexham, and Blaenau Gwent are planning to start collections this year or early next year.
 

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