With Halloween approaching, bin crews are expecting a surge in food waste as thousands of pumpkins are thrown out across the borough. Stafford Borough Council says chopped-up pumpkins are perfectly fine to go in your food waste caddy, but just make sure you remove any candles, lights or other decorations before putting them out.
The food waste collection service launched in April this year and has already been collecting an average of more than 80 tonnes of food from local homes every week. This will be its first Halloween, and the council is keen for residents to make use of it rather than sending pumpkins to landfill.
Across the UK, an estimated 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are thrown away uneaten after Halloween each year. If you'd rather not waste yours, the Love Food Hate Waste website has recipes for pumpkin soup, pie and more.
What can go in the caddy?
The food caddy is collected weekly alongside your other bins, though at a different time and in a separate vehicle. As well as pumpkins, it accepts a wide range of food waste. It cannot be used for:
- Liquids, oils or fats
- Garden waste
- Food packaging
All food waste collected goes to an anaerobic digestion plant, where it is converted into energy, with the remaining material used in agriculture to improve soil quality.
Councillor Ian Fordham, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: "Our residents have been fantastic in supporting the new food waste service. We expect to see that waste increase in the days following Halloween when people have finished with their pumpkins."
For more details on the food waste service, visit staffordbc.gov.uk/food-waste.
Source: staffordbc.gov.uk
