New food waste video

A new video showing just how easy it is to recycle food waste in West Dorset is now available.

It’s a handy guide to the new food waste recycling collection scheme, which was launched in Sherborne and surrounding villages in April.

Thanks to local residents the scheme is proving a big success, with more than 115 tonnes of food waste being collected to be transformed into turf.

The collection of other recyclable materials has also risen from an average of 148 tonnes a month to 158 tonnes and the recycling rate for this area has also increased from 29 per cent to 39 per cent since the scheme started.

The video shows the food waste being taken to Eco-Composting in Dorset and how it’s made into compost which is used to grow turf.

Check out the video here.

Recycling champions visit Weymouth and Portland

This month, a team of door-to-door recycling advisers are out and about in Weymouth and Portland. They are visiting households in the area to explain the benefits of recycling and assist residents with any waste reduction concerns or questions.

Our enthusiastic recycling champions are fully trained and familiar with local issues. The aim is for them to help spread waste prevention messages and increase participation in the food waste and recycling collection scheme in the area. Talking to individual householders about recycling services has proved really successful in other parts of the county.

Our advisers will be easily recognisable with ‘recycle it’s a way of life’ branded hi-visibility jackets. They will also be carrying an ID badge.

New food waste recycling scheme for Sherborne

Great news for Sherborne residents, West Dorset District Council are introducing a major new recycling scheme to transform food waste into compost.

The scheme, which launches on 26 April 2010, will see food waste, including bread, cakes, meat, fish, yoghurts, dairy produce and cooked meals, picked up for recycling each week from your home. You can still home compost vegetable peelings, fruit, tea bags and egg shells.

Here are the facts you need to know:

• Food waste will be collected alongside normal rubbish from 9,000 households in Sherborne.
• Around 750 tonnes of food will be collected each year when the service starts.
• If the scheme proves successful we will look at extending it to the rest of west Dorset in the future.
• By using the new weekly food waste service and the fortnightly recycling service, the average household in Sherborne should produce no more than two bags of landfill waste per week. So, when the scheme starts we will be limiting refuse collection to two normal sized black bags per week per household.
• The average household in West Dorset throws away 14kg of waste per week. After recycling glass, cans, paper, cardboard and food waste, two bags are enough for the rest of the waste.
• Some households will be eligible to apply for an exemption. You will need to contact the customer service team at West Dorset District Council for more information.

Click here for more information