Aerial view of Newhaven incinerator

Greens call for food waste collection

Hastings’ Green Party is challenging the Council’s waste strategy, specifically the lack of a domestic food waste collection service. This comes  ahead of the iminent awarding of new contracts by the Joint Waste Committee of Hastings, Eastbourne, Rother, and Weald councils, Hastings and Rye Green Party (HRGP) is urging Hastings council to consider including the collection of separated food waste in its proposals, as Lewes District Council has already done. 

According to the council, food waste accounts for around a third of all rubbish. At present, Hastings’ recycle rate (re-use, recycle and compost) is less than 30%, compared to the UK average of 44%. This puts HBC 315th out of 351 UK local authorities for recycling.

Sign the Change.org petition to Hastings Borough Council asking for food waste collection!

In Wales, all local authorities collect food waste, which contributes to an overall recycling figure of over 55%. England is lagging behind all other regions, and East Sussex is lagging behind England. By introducing food waste collection, HBC could boost the amount sent to recycling and help reverse this trend.

Lewes District Council has successfully set up their food waste collection scheme. For more details on what can be recycled and what happens to the waste, click on this link.

In Hastings, household kitchen waste is co-mingled with other black-bag waste and sent to the incinerator at Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility, which produces only electricity and not heat. As such, its energy production is less efficient than a gas-fired power station (4), and it produces toxic ash which has to go to specialized land fill.

By collecting domestic food waste separately and sending it to an Anaerobic Digestion Facility, HBC could boost recycling rates, increase the efficiency of Newhaven Incinerator by not running wet food waste through it and also produce valuable commercial soil improver and biogas. The cost savings from fewer black bag collections would help pay for the service, and there would be much less food waste scattered by wild animals on our streets.

Hastings and Rye Green Party spokesperson, Judy Scott said: “We welcome the fact that over the past few years HBC has greatly increased the types of waste that can be recycled by local residents. Now we’re asking them to go further and to look at recycling food waste.”

HRGP is encouraging residents to sign their petition calling on HBC to provide a food waste collection service.

Previous HOT articles: Food waste recycling and Food, common sense and community.

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