Council set to chew over new plans to recycle county food waste

Authority is looking to get a county-wide deal

- By Phil Corrigan

A NEW Staffordshire-wide contract for the disposal of food waste could save taxpayers up to £1 million and reduce the amount of rubbish going to incinerators.

Weekly food waste collections will become mandatory for all councils in England next year, as part of a national drive to make recycling simpler.

At the moment, Newcastle Borough Council is the only authority in Staffordshire to collect food waste separately. Staffordshire Moorlands District Council combines food waste with garden waste, while other councils ask residents to put it in their general waste bins.

Staffordshire County Council is responsible for disposing of all residential waste after it is collected by the districts. Food waste is currently either sent to an incinerator, a composting facility or an anaerobic digestion plant, depending on how it is collected.