New rules on way for food waste in bid to save Cannock Chase Council £300k

Food waste will no longer be collected separately from February under the money saving proposals.

Instead, families will be asked to put their food rubbish either in their green bin or use a home composter.

Residents currently have to put rubbish such as left over eggs, meat, fruit and vegetables peelings into a brown bin along with garden waste.

But from early next year bin men will collect just garden waste separately.

Cannock Chase Council says it is twice as expensive to process both food and garden waste together than than the composting method, which can be used if garden waste is collected alone.

Environment chief Councillor Alan Dudson said: "Following a long procurement process we are now in a position to award the contracts.

"There will be some changes that residents will have to make in the New Year with the way they recycle, but these new contracts mean that the Council is saving a lot of money.

"With Government cuts we are constantly looking at ways to save money without cutting services to residents in the district and this is another way that we can ensure that residents keep their alternate weekly refuse collections.

"However, I would remind people to take care once the revised service is introduced in February 2016. As any food waste that goes into the brown bin will cause contamination and will incur costs for the taxpayer."

Once the changes are in place, residents will also be given the opportunity to request a free home composter as an alternative way of disposing of their food waste.

The contract for the disposal and treatment of organic garden waste has been awarded to Jack Moody Ltd with Biffa Municipal Ltd being awarded the contract for waste collection from April.

The contracts will save the council £308,240 a year.

Stafford Borough and South Staffordshire councils do not operate a separate food waste service.