Posted: Tue 24th Dec 2019

“Unfortunately there’s still a number of us that aren’t recycling our food waste” – Wrexham residents urged to use their food caddies

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Dec 24th, 2019

Residents across Wrexham are being urged to use their food caddies to recycle any leftovers and waste – particularly over the festive period.

Wrexham Council has released a series images of food and other items that were found in black bins during a recent general waste collection. All items could have been recycled but weren’t.

Earlier this year the local authority launched a drive to try and increase the amount of food waste recycled in Wrexham.

Since the council started issuing free caddy liners last autumn, food waste recycling increased from 170.68 tonnes in January 2018 to 189.44 tonnes in January 2019.

Last month alone over 195 tonnes of food waste was disposed off in food caddies across Wrexham – this is compared to compared to just under 140 tonnes in November 2018.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “These figures show a solid improvement in the amount of food waste we’ve recycled in 2019, and it’s good to see that more of us do this as part of our everyday recycling.

“We’ve made an effort to let people know the many things that can be recycled in your food caddy and it proves that if we give people the information they need, many of them are happy to play their part in our recycling efforts.

“Along with the environmental benefits, we offer free caddy liners, and by recycling food you’re freeing up space in your bins. It also helps to stop your bins from smelling from rotting food – remember your food caddy is emptied every week, your general waste isn’t.

“Unfortunately the images in this article show that there’s still a number of us that aren’t recycling our food waste and we strongly encourage these people to change their habits; there’s certainly many reasons why they should.

“Thanks to everyone who recycles their food waste and to those who don’t, please get involved and play your part. We need to reach our 70% recycling target by 2025 and you can all help us achieve this.”

With the festive period now underway, residents are also being reminded to use their caddies for any leftovers or waste.

Unsure about what can be put in the food caddy? Wrexham Council have released the following guide:-

Turkey bones

Not just turkey bones either, all meat bones and carcasses can be recycled as food waste…and remember, your food caddy gets emptied every week, but your general waste doesn’t. So if you don’t recycle these things they’ll sit, rotting in your bin for a couple of weeks. No one wants a stinky bin…especially at Christmas.

Got some leftover turkey or other meats? You could try cooking with your leftovers…think risottos, curries, soups and stews. Need some inspiration? The Love Food Hate Waste website has some great recipe ideas!

You can recycle cooked meat in your caddy, but please try to avoid waste caused through overbuying.

Raw food, mouldy foods and plate scrapings

When this happens, we should always look to our food caddy. If it’s a raw meat, it can go in your caddy. If it’s something that’s gone mouldy it can go in your caddy too.

Another good habit to get into all year round is scraping your plate into your food caddy if you have any leftovers.

Shells, peelings and cores

Shells can be recycled as food waste. So if you enjoy chestnuts or any nuts at Christmas, be sure to recycle the shells in your caddy. Other less festive shells, like eggshells can be recycled too.

All vegetable peelings, and fruit peelings, can be recycled along with apple cores. Any uneaten fruit and veg can be recycled as well, sprouts and all.

Fast food

Perhaps there’ll be the odd day over Christmas where nobody feels like cooking. On these days you might order takeaway food, but keep in mind that things like uneaten chips and leftover pizza can still be recycled.

There’s also all the other stuff you shouldn’t forget about that can go in your food caddy, like:

• Tea bags
• Coffee granules
• Shellfish
• Uneaten ready meals
• Wooden cutlery

If you’re running low on caddy liners you can just tie an empty one to your caddy handle on your collection day to receive a new roll.



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