Bedford Borough Council is celebrating the second month of its new weekly food waste collection service, with residents recycling more than 460 tonnes of food waste in May alone. Together with the first month of collections, this means thousands of households across the borough have already diverted well over 900 tonnes of food waste away from black bins and into recycling.
The food waste collected is sent for anaerobic digestion, where it is turned into renewable energy for the National Grid and a nutrient-rich fertiliser for local farms. By using the service each week, residents are helping to cut general waste, support local agriculture and contribute to a more sustainable borough.
As with any new service, there have been some challenges in recent weeks, including unexpected staff shortages, a couple of vehicle breakdowns and a small number of missed collections as new crews learn where food waste bins are left outside properties. Where rounds have not been completed on their scheduled collection day, crews have returned on the next working day to finish the route and collect remaining food waste bins.
Councillor Nicola Gribble, Portfolio Holder for Environment, said, “It’s fantastic to see residents continuing to get behind our new weekly food waste collection service in such large numbers. Thank you to everyone who is taking part and for your patience while the teams embed the new rounds and work through the inevitable teething problems.
“We know that some residents have experienced missed or delayed collections, and we are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Our crews are learning new routes, adapting to new ways of working and doing their best to put things right as quickly as possible. Every caddy that is put out and emptied helps to reduce the amount of waste going into black bins and instead turns it into renewable energy and fertiliser for local farms.”
As crews continue to learn the new routes and where individual food waste bins are left out, a small number of bins may be missed. If this happens, residents are encouraged to report it online at www.bedford.gov.uk/MissedBin. Reporting a missed collection helps crews to return where possible and allows the team to add clear notes to property records so that any less obvious bin locations can be found more easily next time.
Anyone who has not yet started using the food waste collection service is encouraged to give it a go. Separating food waste can help keep black bins less full, reduce smells and make it easier to see how much food is being thrown away, supporting money‑saving changes at home. Residents can also visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for practical tips and recipes to help reduce food waste and save money.
For more information about household bins and recycling, including food waste collections and how to report issues online, visit www.bedford.gov.uk/BinsAndRecycling