Wrap up your food waste

Release Date:  06-Aug-2007

Summer appears to be here at last - at least for the time being. With the warmer weather, residents are advised to keep their kitchen caddies and bins clean and wrap their food waste in paper or use special paper bin liners to avoid smells and pests.

But a new clean and efficient way to wrap food waste will be available in the city in time for next Summer.

Bristol City Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhoods Cllr Judith Price has ordered officers to secure a supplier for specially marked biodegradable starch bags that Bristol residents could use to wrap their food waste or line their kitchen waste caddies and bins.

Because of the value of the contract and other legal matters, the complex procurement process to buy the bags may take some time to complete under European Union rules.

For the time being, unmarked starch-based bags that can be bought in local shops cannot be used in Bristol's food waste bins as they are too easily confused with ordinary plastic bags. This might lead to plastic bags contaminating the high-quality compost being produced.

The solution is to have bags that are clearly marked as “approved for use by Bristol City Council” and marked with the Bristol City Council logo. They could also be produced in a bright, easily identifiable colour. This will enable the collection crews to identify which bags can be composted and which need to be left behind to avoid them getting mixed up in the composting process.

Councillor Judith Price, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods explains further: “Thanks to the efforts of Bristol's residents to recycle their food, the recycling rate in Bristol has increased by 100% in just one year. We now want to make the process even easier by offering residents a clean and efficient way to wrap their food waste. Finding a manufacturer to supply approved starch bags and licensing our logo to go on them requires a detailed legal and procurement process, which I have ordered to get underway immediately and our officers are getting on with the job.”

“Once the bags have been approved they will be available for sale through local retailers.  Through the Citizens' Jury on waste issues, we are hoping to explore whether the bags could be provided free to residents, although this will not delay the opportunity for people to buy them through local shops. Providing free bags could add to council tax payers' bills and we would have to balance these costs against the benefits to residents and potential costs saved by diverting food waste from being buried in landfill sites.”

To obtain advice on kitchen waste collections, telephone the council's Customer Service Centre on 0117 922 3838 or email customer.services@bristol.gov.uk.  Residents can also download the latest leaflets giving advice on kitchen waste collections and a list of suppliers of paper liners by logging on at www.bristol.gov.uk/kitchenwaste

Author:  Simon Caplan

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