Bedford Borough Council is nearing completion of delivering more than 85,000 new kitchen caddies and outdoor food waste bins ahead of the launch of weekly food waste recycling collections starting Monday, 30 March. Final deliveries are expected to be completed by Friday, 27 March.
Every household should have a small kitchen caddy and a larger outdoor food waste bin. Most flats will receive a kitchen caddy only, and can take food waste to a communal silver-lidded wheelie bin in the bin store or a clearly labelled external green collection point nearby. These flats will have a communal bin or collection point by 27 March.
In some blocks of flats, teams have been unable to gain access to deliver caddies to front doors. Crews will return and attempt delivery again by 27 March. Residents who haven’t received a caddy by the start of the service can use any suitable container indoors before transferring food waste to their communal bin.
Residents can start using their new food waste bins as soon as they are delivered, ready for their first collection from Monday, 30 March. If a property appears to have been missed, for example, if both neighbours have received theirs, or if a bin has arrived damaged, it can be reported online at www.bedford.gov.uk/RequestBins
Many items can go in the new food waste caddy that can’t safely be composted or given to animals, including cooked food, meat, fish, dairy and bones. These can attract pests or slow composting at home, while leftovers with fat, seasoning or salt are unsuitable for pets or wildlife. All of these can safely go in the food waste caddy instead, where they’ll be turned into renewable energy and fertiliser.
Councillor Nicola Gribble, Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said, “Delivering more than 85,000 food waste bins across Bedford Borough is a fantastic achievement, and I’d like to thank the teams for their hard work making it happen. Every peel, crust, and leftover helps reduce waste and supports our drive towards a cleaner, greener Borough.”
Residents are also encouraged to reduce food waste through meal planning, proper storage and freezing leftovers. For practical tips and recipes, visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
From Monday, 30 March, the Council will also introduce optimised bin collection routes for recycling, household, garden and food waste. Most homes will see no change, but around 20% will have a new collection day and have been notified by post. These updates are designed to improve efficiency and support the introduction of weekly food waste collections. Updated calendars are available at www.bedford.gov.uk/bins
For more information on the new service and what can go in the food waste bin, visit www.bedford.gov.uk/foodwaste
This delivery programme has been funded through the DEFRA Food Waste Transitional Revenue Support Grant.