Published on Wednesday 15 May 2024
Introducing food waste collections for Poole and improved simpler recycling are some of the proposals going to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s' Cabinet next week.
If approved, these plans will see food waste collections introduced for Poole households and flats in Bournemouth by 31 March 2026.
Residents without access to a bin will be offered recycling bags and a kerbside collection service begins this October.
The proposals would help the council meet the legal obligations of the Environment Act 2021.
Another plan being considered is enhancing the council’s commercial waste service to support businesses, including schools and hospitals, to recycle and collect food waste by 31 March 2025
A central government grant of £1.537m has been awarded to invest in new collection vehicles and containers for food waste collection and to support the roll out of the new service.
Councillor Andy Hadley, Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, said: “Residents in Poole have been asking for food waste bins for some time now, so it’s great that they will benefit from the introduction of food waste collections in early 2026.
“Once implemented, these changes will enable the same service for all our residents, another significant step we’re taking towards a more sustainable future for our community.
“By introducing a BCP-wide commercial food waste collection service and expanding our recycling initiatives to include plastic film to the same timescale, we are actively reducing our environmental impact and promoting responsible waste management.
“All these measures not only benefit our environment but also contribute to building a cleaner and healthier community for generations to come.”
These new waste and recycling reforms will support the council in cutting down harmful emissions, by removing food from general waste, saving money on waste disposal and creating energy from food through anaerobic digestion to help power homes.
Introducing food waste collections in Poole and to flats across Bournemouth is expected to enhance BCP Council’s recycling rate by 6 percent.
If the amount of waste sent to landfill was reduced by just 5 percent in the BCP area, the Council could save around £200,000.
Nationally, 60 percent of food waste comes from people’s homes and 18 million tonnes of CO2 are generated by UK households from wasted consumable food and drink.
BCP Council’s Cabinet will meet on Wednesday 22 May 2024, to read the full report please go to Welcome to BCP Council | BCP
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Notes to Editors
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Images and interview requests please contact press.office@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Household recycling services: Recycling bin collections | BCP (bcpcouncil.gov.uk)
Regulations for businesses can be found on the WRAP website: Business of Recycling | WRAP.
BCP Council services for businesses: Commercial waste and recycling services | BCP (bcpcouncil.gov.uk)
Reducing waste: Waste prevention | BCP (bcpcouncil.gov.uk)