New food waste collection service for the borough

Starting on Monday 29 April, areas within Coleraine and Portstewart will be included in the new service. Other parts of Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart will be included over the coming months.

Those areas included in the service will receive an introductory leaflet followed by a starter pack. The pack will include a small kitchen caddy, biodegradable liners, a small outside food bin and details about the new service.

Research shows that 38% of our black bin rubbish is food waste.

The Mayor of Coleraine, Councillor Sam Cole, who launched the new service, said “Council in partnership with Rethink Waste are making changes to the way food waste is collected in the Borough. This is to enable residents to recycle more and so that we can process it in a cheaper and more environmentally acceptable way.

“Last year, 11,500 tonnes of our food waste ended up in Craigahulliar landfill site. By recycling your food waste you will reduce the amount of food waste in our landfill site.

“Rotting food in landfill produces methane gas which contributes to climate change and, as the cost of sending food waste to landfill is increasing, you will help Coleraine Borough Council and our residents save money too.”

Councillor Cole added: “We are appreciative of Rethink Waste’s support of this project, and funding Coleraine Borough Council with £364,000 to collect food waste for recycling.”

Households will be able to recycle all food waste including: Meat and fish - raw and cooked including bones; Fruit and vegetables - raw and cooked; All dairy products such as eggs and cheese; Bread, cakes and pastries; Rice, pasta and beans; Uneaten food from your plates and dishes; and Tea bags and coffee grounds.

The waste will be taken to a special processing plant where it will be recycled into compost. Council is encouraging everyone included in the new service to take part, even those who already compost at home or think they don’t throw out much food waste.

Homes are being provided with biodegradable liners for their food waste. This ensures that the small kitchen caddy and outside food bin – both of which have lockable lids – can be kept clean and free of smells.

To receive more liners, householders should place the bright yellow “more liners please” tag on your outside food bin when you set it out for collection. Council’s collection staff will leave a new roll of starch liners. A roll of biodegradable liners will last around ten weeks.

Food waste which contains materials that are not accepted at the compost facility, for example, plastic bags can not be collected.

If any of the unaccepted materials are included, Council will inform the household by putting a label on the outside of the food bin. Please read the label and remove the items that should not be in the waste and Council will then collect the rest of the contents the following week.

The collection service is weekly and outside food bins will be emptied on the same day as normal waste and recycling bin. Please leave the outside food bin beside the wheeled bin on the normal collection day by 8am.

Should anyone have any questions, please phone the Recycling helpline at Coleraine Borough Council on 028 7034 7272.