Residents asked to help reduce post-Christmas food waste
West Dunbartonshire Council is reminding residents to ensure any festive food waste ends up in the brown recycling bin rather than going to landfill.
Brown bins accept all kind of food waste and the Council has recently made it easier for residents to request new liners for their food waste caddies. When you get down to your last few liners, simply tie one to the handle of your brown bin and the waste collectors will know to leave you a new roll.
In the days after Christmas, fridges are often bursting at the seams with leftovers. With so many ways to make the most of the leftover food, most of it can be eaten or even frozen to ensure nothing goes to waste.
According to Love Food Hate Waste, 86 million chickens or turkeys are thrown away uneaten in the UK every year. Their website at https://goo.gl/sVPh6e has a range of top tips on how to make the most of leftovers and also some excellent ‘leftovers recipes.’
Councillor Iain McLaren, said: “Food waste is almost inevitable at this time of year, but there are things that can be done to minimise how much of it goes to waste. Anything that can’t be frozen or eaten in the days after Christmas should go into your brown food recycling bin, ensuring no food is sent to landfill.”
Councillor Diane Docherty added: “The Council has recently made it easier to request replacement liners for your food caddy, so hopefully nobody should be short of liners over the festive period. We have invested a lot in ensuring our recycling rates are as high as possible and really appreciate the efforts of our residents to helping reduce waste.”
As well as food waste, most other materials can also be recycled. Blue bins take plastic bottles, tubs and trays, (as long as they’re not black), paper (including Christmas paper but not the foil type), food and drink cans, and cardboard and cartons. Remember to rinse out containers, which keeps bins clean and makes items easier to recycle.
Glass can be taken to one of the many glass collection points in each area, while real Christmas trees can be taken to a recycling centre or left next to your brown bin for kerbside collection.