Weekly collections of food waste will begin in parts of Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire in January – with Greater Cambridge Shared Waste rolling out collections to all households by the end of 2026.
The service will be extended across Greater Cambridge in phases throughout next year. All households will receive a letter with full details a few weeks before the service begins in their area to help ensure they are prepared.
Before their new collections begin, households will receive a new outdoor caddy to put out for collection at the kerbside with their wheelie bins each week, as well as a smaller indoor caddy to collect food waste in the kitchen. Most flats will share an outdoor wheelie bin in their bin store to empty their indoor caddy into. The weekly food waste collections will take place on residents’ usual bin days.
The new service is part of national legislation requiring councils to collect food waste separately. It aims to help boost recycling rates and reduce the amount of food that gets thrown away and ends-up in landfill.
Cllr Natalie Warren-Green, Lead Cabinet Member for Environment at South Cambridgeshire District Council said: “Food waste in landfill produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas, so using this new service is an important step we can all take to limit climate change. We’re making it as easy as we can for all residents to use the service.”
Food waste collected from the new weekly service will be processed at an Anaerobic Digestion plant. This captures the gases released as the food breaks down and uses them to generate electricity. Fertiliser is also produced which can be used on farmland.
Households in the first phase of the roll-out which will start in January will receive a letter before Christmas letting them know when to expect delivery of their caddies and the date that their weekly collection service will begin.
All households will receive a letter a few weeks before the service begins in their area to help ensure they are prepared. You can check your bin information at www.greatercambridgewaste.org by inputting your postcode.
Cllr Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment at Cambridge City Council said: “As well as helping recycling rates we really hope that the new weekly collections will highlight how much food we throw away and encourage everyone to use up the food they buy. Making meal plans and shopping lists, buying and cooking just the right amount and freezing food before it goes off are all great ways to save money and reduce food waste at the same time.”
For more tips on reducing food waste visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Greater Cambridge Shared Waste is a shared service between Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils.
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