Food waste scheme hailed success after 'hiccups'

Erewash Borough Council has hailed its new food waste collection scheme a success after "a few hiccups".

The authority said it had collected more than 257 tonnes of food waste - which it said was equivalent in weight to 33 double-decker buss - in about a month.

The weekly collections, which started in April, were introduced to prevent produce from ending up in landfill, and instead be put to better uses, such as biofuel and fertiliser.

Councillor Mark Alfrey, responsible for environment, said some residents' collections were missed during the rollout of the scheme but the council was "grateful" for their patience.

The council issued new green bins for food waste which are emptied on a weekly basis.

It said since the first two weeks of the scheme, an average of more than 50 tonnes a week had been collected.

Alfrey said: "Food waste recycling makes big environmental differences.

"The peril of food waste is that it can release methane when it breaks down – and this is a greenhouse gas 25 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.

"By redirecting organic waste to properly managed processes, we reduce pressures on our environment and produce renewable energy."

He called the rollout of the new collections a "mammoth operation".

"Admittedly there have been a few hiccups as new crews familiarise themselves with their rounds," he said.

"We are grateful for the patience of any residents whose collections may have initially been missed.

Local authorities in England were required to collect food waste from April 2026 as part of changes to recycling services.

However, earlier this year the BBC found more than a quarter of councils would miss the official deadline.

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