Food waste trial is launched

Selected households of the Horsham District took part in a new recycling and waste collection trial to include separate collections of food waste and Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHP) in September last year.

The 12-week trial collection service involved 100 different households from across the Horsham District including family households, single occupancy homes and flats.

The food waste trial was developed as a result of resident feedback telling us that they would like separate food waste collections amidst concerns about the impact of food waste on the environment.

Improving our rubbish and recycling collections

The results gathered from the trial will be key in helping us to fully understand how we can improve  the way we deliver future recycling and rubbish collections and establish the correct frequency of collections, and size of bins required to effectively deliver this kind of service to meet residents’ needs.

Our waste composition analysis shows that food waste makes up approximately 42% of the rubbish currently put out for collection in green-top bins, so the trial results should provide us with an accurate picture of just how much food waste and AHP we can divert away from being processed as waste in the future.

Collected food waste will be taken to an Anaerobic Digester which will break it down into biofertiliser for use on land, and a biogas, which can be used for generating energy.

Find out more

You can learn more about the trial and find useful tips on reducing your food waste and making your food go further, by visiting our Food Waste webpage.