New food waste system planned for town homes

A new food waste recycling system is set to be introduced in a Leicestershire town to generate renewable energy.

Each household in Blaby will receive a small bin for waste including tea bags, vegetable peelings and left-overs and a larger bin for outside to store the food waste bags.

Blaby district councillor Paul Hartshorn said the food waste, which would be collected weekly alongside regular rubbish collections, would be "processed into biogas and converted to electricity, with fertiliser as a by-product".

Blaby District Council said the new system will be "rolled out in the future" in a bid to reduce food waste in landfills.

Details to be announced

The authority said the move was part of the government's "Simpler Recycling" plan - an initiative that means all councils in England must provide food waste collections by 31 March 2026, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Hartshorn said: "[Blaby] will get two bins. The larger green bin is the outdoor bin to be placed on the street with weekly rubbish collections.

"The smaller grey bin is a kitchen caddy to be kept in the kitchen to empty food waste into, using caddy bags which should be sold in most supermarkets. The full bags are then decanted into the larger bin."

The food will be processed in an anaerobic digester near Hinckley.

The district council added full details of the scheme have yet to be announced, but more information on the plans are set to be presented at a full council meeting on 19 November.